Maze runner: Failed trial
by simonfreewriter
Summary: There's a reason why the creators only allowed boys in the Maze experiment. Sending the girl, Teresa was a cause of debate among them. In doing so they'd risk a repeat of the Alpha trail, the first trial that included both boys and girls. This is the story of the first Maze Runners, the children of a failed experiment that in the end were erased from history for the next generation
1. Chapter 1: The Strangest Thing

_There's a reason why the creators only allowed boys in the Maze experiment. Sending the girl, Teresa was a cause of debate among them. In doing so they'd risk a repeat of the Alpha trail, the first trial that included both boys and girls. This is the story of the first Maze Runners, the children of a failed experiment that in the end were erased from history to make way for the next generation of Gladers._

Alex sprinted through the giant walls the moment they opened. The vines shifted from the rush of air as she soared past. One right and two lefts, past the wall with the vines shaped like an upside down horse, though she never actually remembered when she saw a real horse she somehow knew what one looked like. It was that way for pretty much everything. She knew what things were but didn't remember _how_ she knew. That's how the story went since she arrived here two months ago. Brought up in some box from a bottomless chasm. Voices. The door opens and sixty girls are staring down at her. All strangers. And not a memory of who she was or how she got there. There was only a name. Alex. She couldn't even remember her last name.

She slowed to a jog and reached into her side pocket in her pack and took two gulps of water from her bottle. She'd been running for almost an hour. She couldn't stop for a break until she reached the structure with the giant number two written across it. This was the fourth time she was assigned section 2. She rotated the 8 sections with ten runners including the Runner Overseer, Natalie. She was a tall wiry caramel skinned girl with jet-black hair and a noticeable upturned nose. She didn't have an ounce of body fat on her. She was fast too. Almost as fast as Alex and she was the fastest runner, which made the other girls a little jealous especially since she was the newest addition to the circle. Natalie was cool though, one of the few Overseers Alex actually liked. Approachable enough, corrects you sometimes although it's always in a constructive way rather than doing it in a way to make you feel stupid. Nothing at all like Maggie the bitch. That's a word that always comes right after Maggie's name. Bitch.

She stuck her bottle back in her side pocket. She couldn't think about Maggie the bitch right now, it was mid- morning and she was behind schedule. She picked up the pace and within ten minutes she reached the second wall with the number two telling her that she was a good hour and thirty minute run away from maze entrance. Now it was exploring time. There was no point in choosing which corridor she wanted to go. She'd already been through both. She went right, walking instead of running. Don't get her wrong she loved being a runner. It was the one job that appealed to her even when she was doing orientation on the other jobs. She loved to explore, find new things, feel the apprehension of being on the clock. But she'd been a runner for over a month now. Although the Maze changed every night it still felt like she was doing the same thing with no results.

"We have to keep trying," Natalie always told the girls at the end of the day when they met in the map room. "We never know when an exit might show up. Until then we can't stop."

Natalie's been running through this place for over four years, mapping the Maze from top to bottom. If an exit hadn't been found by now then there is no damn exit. The Creators send one girl up per month. Supplies per week. They must mean for them to stay there. Perhaps they gave them a Maze so the Gladers would have hope of escape to keep them from going nuts.

The sun was at its highest peak. Lunchtime. She swung off her pack and dropped to one knee, blowing away a strand of her chocolate brown hair from her face. She pulled out a paper bag and spun around leaning back against the hard stonewall. She pulled out a ham and cheese sandwich and took a large bite swallowing it down with some more water. She was delighted to find a banana in the bottom of her bag. Potassium for the muscles is always good. She'd forgotten that she swiped it from Mom's food storage. That what they called the kitchen overseer. Mom. She didn't know what a real mom looked like, seeing that everyone in the Glade looked no older than 18, but she had curly blonde hair, wide hips, a bit of a pudgy stomach, and she always wore an apron all the time. The word mom just came to mind whenever you saw her.

A flock of geese flew overhead in a V formation. How she wished she could be a bird. Soar through the sky, looking upon the Maze from above to see if there's an end to this place. At the very least have the freedom of flight, not stuck between thousands of walls. When she was finished with her sandwich she reached back and untied her hair band letting her hair fall to her shoulders. She shook her head a couple times to scatter it. There, much better. If only she had a brush. She did this every time she had a lunch. It made herself feel normal. Worrying about her hair, keeping it as shiny as she could manage, you know make sure she's nice and pretty for the Grievers if one showed up. She's never seen one beside the one time Brenda, the Head of Overseer, showed her one through the window her second morning in the Glade. Scariest thing she's ever seen, memory or not. They looked alien. Surely no human could ever create such a horrid monster. It's why when the sun goes down she gets a little nervous. No one wants to be caught in the Maze once the walls close. No one's survived a night out in the Maze, and no one's itching to break that loosing streak either. Alex knew one person who died in the Maze overnight, though there were plenty she didn't know. She was a runner named Nicole, the second most experienced behind Natalie, been out running for three and a half years. But she got lost and never found her way back to the gates. Her mutilated body was found at the entrance once the walls opened again the next morning. Natalie ceased all runnings that day so they could go to her funeral. Her face was unrecognizable, just a ball of torn mangled flesh like the rest of her body. She didn't stare at her for more than second. It was still enough to make her stomach churn bile.

"Let this be a lesson to you, sheeks," Natalie said back in the map room after they buried her. "No matter how much experience you've got, you can still get lost. The Maze is called a maze for a reason. It can kill you. Always, always stay sharp or else you're Griever food like Nicole was."

She was sure Nicole's death really got to her. She was the first girl under Natalie's command. Natalie kind of kept a distance from the other girls to prevent favoritism. But since her and Nicole started running together back in the day they only had each other to depend on until the next girl was deemed clever enough to join the team. They hung out all the time, ate lunch together, made the morning run plans. After Nicole, Natalie pushed the rest of them away, careful not to know the newer members too well. Alex has never had a conversation with her about anything other than the maze. When she tries to lighten the mood or change the subject Natalie brings the maze back into the conversation or excuses herself.

She stuffed her bag in her pack and left her banana peel on the ground. Always good to have a land mark even if you don't need it. She jogged through corridor after corridor. Turning left then right, sometimes climbing up boulders to the higher levels. She kept a mental image of where she was going, like a path burned into the back of her mind.

Afternoon was quickly turning to evening. She checked her watch. 2 more hours until the walls closed. Usually she waited another thirty minutes before she headed back, but she really didn't feel like going home at the usual running pace so she turned and rummaged through her brain for a pathway home. It was like a navigation system in her head, the giant arrow pointing to each turn. Navigation system, another thing she didn't remember.

She stopped. Her heart revved in her chest. Her veins coursed with adrenaline.

Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

There should be a short pathway that takes her a good 30 yards before she has to take another right again. There shouldn't be a long corridor in front of her. She knew exactly where she was going. There's no way she got lost. She's been this way three times now. Did the Maze change or something? No she would've heard it. Walls can't move without making a ton of noise. She had to have taken a wrong turn somewhere. She doubled back and retraced her steps where she stopped, or at least she tried. She couldn't find where she decided to turn back. She didn't understand. The walls, the corridors, they weren't right, none of it was right. Panic flooded through her body, fogging her mind. She wasted 45 minutes trying to regain her bearings, and the more she walked the more lost she became. She struggled to think clearly, run through her mind to check if she missed something. This happened to her before. She thought she was completely lost when she simply made a wrong turn. But she at least was able to retrace her steps.

The sun was settling below the walls. She was encompassed in shadows. She was lost. No inkling of where she was. She thought about Nicole, seeing her mesh face and mangled body. Do the Grievers kill right away and then rip you to pieces? Probably not. They probably grab you and kill you slowly.

"Help!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the passageways. "Someone! I'm lost, help!"

No answer. There was a heated feeling behind her eyes. Tears began to pepper the dirt as she ran. She was full on panic mode. She couldn't even see. She wanted to bash her head against the walls in rage. Bust through this damn maze that was trying to kill her. By now the sun was well below the walls. She had thirty minutes at the most. She had to stop, even though her adrenaline was pushing her body in overdrive. She was exhausted. She'd been running non-stop for over an hour and a half at nearly a full sprint. The lower the sun dropped the more her body shut down as if preparing for the inevitable. She collapsed to her knees gasping for breath. Her legs were trembling and sweat was pouring down her face. She was back at the dark corridor that seemed to stretch for a mile. Not too long before a Griever came by on a stroll. She pictured the biggest and nastiest one rounding the corner just to eat her for an evening snack.

Something did come around the corner. It wasn't a Griever. No, it was even stranger. Even though she never remembered seeing one before she knew what it was.

A boy.


	2. Chapter 2: One of the guys

She couldn't believe her eyes at first. A strong figure standing shoulder width apart at the end of the corridor. She couldn't remember ever seeing a boy before, but her instinct told her it was. Her heart fluttered in her chest. The rush of seeing the opposite sex reenergized her arms and legs.

He sprinted to her, his footsteps slamming in the dirt and his breaths came out in rasps. He'd been running for a long time like her, racing to get back to his side of the Glade.

"Are you Ok?" he asked. His deep voice, at least compared to hearing girls' voices for the past 2 months, made her heart race even faster. His rolled up sleeves were tight against his biceps, which flexed along with the muscles in his forearms when he reached out to her. His rough hands hoisted her to her feet and she stood face to face with him. Goodness his eyes. Light hazel brown, almost a golden color in the fading light. His shaggy dark brown hair fell to his eyebrows, and there was a tiny scruff of facial hair growing on the bottom of his chin.

"Are you Ok?" he said louder putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Y–Yes," she replied. "I'm lost." That sounded so pathetic.

"I'm not," he said and grabbed her hand. "Come on, we don't have much time!"

The corridors and walls became a blur of black and gray as they flew through the passageways. She barley kept her legs under her as he dragged her, nearly pulling her arm out of her socket whenever he cut a corner. Rounding another turn a crowd stood the end of a long corridor in front of the massive sliding doors. They were waving at them, but her breathing was so loud she couldn't hear. The ground trembled under their feet, shaking her vision from side to side. The thunder of thousands of tons of grinding granite pierced her eardrums. The doors were closing. The pull on her hand yanked her even harder. She pumped her legs as fast as they could go, ignoring the fire in her chest. She had to make it. The boy was faster than her, and would've cleared the maze by now. But he was risking his life for her. She had to make it for him, or else they'll both die because of her. The doors were blocking the crowd of boys who were now jumping up to urge them on. It seemed like there was only a sliver of room left compared to a minute before. When they reached the threshold the boy suddenly pulled her towards him, picked her up in one sweep and threw her forward. She crashed into the dirt too shocked to scream. A second later he plopped on the ground next to her just as the grinding stopped and a resounding boom echoed throughout the glade.

She didn't know whether to cry or kiss him for saving her life. Not like she could've done anything lying on the ground wondering if she'll ever walk again. The tiny blades of grass bent from the rapid exhales coming out of her mouth. Sweat was pouring down her face dripping into the dirt. She didn't move at all except for her back heaving involuntarily from taking in air. Water. She needed water. Her tongue felt like sandpaper.

"Here," said a voice next to her ear.

She rolled over on her side, drudgingly sat up and took the cup of water from a hand whose owner she didn't see nor cared to see at the moment. She downed it with one gulp and the hand vanished for an instant before reappearing with another cup. By her fourth cup her mind slowly came into focus like a camera fogged by fatigue. She looked up. Countless surrounding faces stared down at her. They were all different sizes and races. Some were chubby, a few had crooked noses, a couple had thick bushy eyebrows. But they all had one thing in common. They were all boys.

"It's a _girl_ ," she heard one of them whisper.

"I found her in the Maze," the boy runner said in between gulps of water. One of them stepped forward from the circle. A short boy with curly black hair and bronze skin and had a slight build in his broad shoulders.

"Are you the only girl?" he asked in a gruff voice.

She shook her head. That set off a volley of exclamations and questions from the boys. But only for a moment as the curly haired boy lifted his fist up. Another tall skinny black kid standing a few feet behind him yelled for everyone to shut up.

"How many girls are there?"

"About sixty," she answered. Her voice sounded higher than usual. Sitting in the middle of all these guys made her uncomfortable, not in a threatening way, but in an appearance kind of way.

"Where do your people live?" he asked.

"We'd have to go through the Maze to get to them," she replied. "But I wouldn't even know where to start. The Maze changed…it had to of changed."

"So then you're a runner?" he said.

"Yeah," she said squinting her eyes at him. "How'd you know?"

"We have those too," he answered a slight smile forming on his face. "Jeremy here's one along with eight other guys."

She looked over at Jeremy. He dipped his head rising his cup before taking another drink.

"And I'm the leader around these parts," the boy said. "Name's Andy, and the dude behind me is my second, Jaden."

The black kid nodded his head.

"There's about forty of us in total. I've been here the longest, about 3 years. We've spent that whole time looking for a way out of the Maze. No luck so far. I'm guessing you haven't found one either.

She shook her head again.

"Figures," Andy said with a sigh. "I've got a lot of questions for you, but you need to get something in your stomach. The Chef's got some grub in the kitchen." He looked at Jeremy. "You and the girl grab something to eat. If you survive his food then come to the outhouse."

"The girl's got a name," Jeremy remarked.

"Well then what's her name?" Andy muttered.

"Why don't cha' ask her?" Jeremy returned. "She doesn't bite."

"I'm Alex," she cut in. Andy glared at Jeremy for a moment. Jeremy stared back at him blankly, inviting him to try to assert his authority over him. Instead, Andy turned his back on them and chuckled.

"Funny how the first girl here has a guy's name."

With that Jaden ordered the rest of the Gladers to get back to work while there was still some daylight left. She watched Andy walk with Jaden as he barked his commands. He didn't seem very friendly. That or he just didn't like talking to girls.

"Come on," Jeremy said slapping his knees and pushing himself up. "Let's get some food and hope we don't freaken choke."

The Glade wasn't much different from the one she lived in other on the side of the Maze. It was clean. There were different guys assigned to various positions. Jeremy gave her a mini tour as they made their way to the food hut, pointing out who did what and what went where. The butcher's den on the west side of the glade, the garden on the east, the map room close to the walls where the runners ran back to draw everything they saw that day, and their overseer's building in the center of the glade, or Manager's building as they called them here. She hardly paid attention to Jeremy. The constant looks ranging from awe to desire were so apparent that even he chucked a few times when a boy stopped what he was doing just to stare. Alex had no idea if she was pretty or not. Without boys flocking around the hottest girl then there was no way to truly tell who was bestowed with beauty. It's not like anyone really had a reason to worry about how they looked when it was all girls. She liked to brush her hair just to smooth it out and relax herself, but she didn't shower all that much. A quick splash of water on the face did fine. The only things she really kept clean was her teeth, but only because the older girls warned tooth aches are a bitch if the food was hard that day.

Jeremy slide in the wooden bench across from her with his bowl of beef stew. It wasn't half bad. It might be better than mom's cooking. Their chief seasoned the meat pretty well. There was no way in hell Alex would ever tell mom that though, her cooking and ego were interconnected.

Nighttime had fallen across the glade and torches twinkled through the workstations. The boys were heading to the showers and then to the meadow adjacent to the manager house for another nights sleep. All of this was no different than her side of the maze, where all the girls were closing down and getting ready to turn in for the night. It was like she entered a different dimension, where everything was identical except for the gender. What was it like when boys and girls existed in the same world together? Surely beyond the walls it had to be so. Before she came here she had to have at least be in the presence of boys. She had to have had a father, not a boy but at least a male, perhaps a brother, maybe even a boyfriend. A guy she kissed? Another thing she couldn't remember.

"How's the food?" Jeremy said. His voice focused her back into the present. "You don't seem to like it."

"Oh no it's very good," she replied slurping the broth from her spoon. "It's just…I'm a little overwhelmed right now."

"Yeah I bet," he laughed. "If I was in a camp full of girls, boy that'd be interesting."

"Did you know what a girl looked like before you saw me?"

"No, did you know what a guy looked like?"

She shook her head.

"I just kinda knew," she answered.

"Same here," he returned.

There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. Her eyes dropped to her soup. She saw him straighten up as if he was about to say something, but slumped back in his chair thinking twice about his question. She twirled the broth with her spoon. Were all boys as awkward as this?

"Have you ever screwed?"

Every single muscle in her body tensed as if she was shocked by electricity. He said it so casually, as if he was asking her to pass the salt.

" _What?"_

"Now's the best time if any," he continued. "There are plenty of guys here and once we link up with your people then there'll be competition."

"What makes you think I'm even _thinking_ about it?"

"I would," he said shrugging.

"I'm not you," she said scowling.

"What? Do girls not like to screw?"

"Yes–I mean no," she stammered. "Or maybe."

"What about you?"

"I'm not going to answer that," she determined. "That's a weird question to ask especially after we just met."

"I'll drop it then," he said shrugging.

He was quiet again. Occasionally looking over his shoulder. She ate as fast as possible but didn't make it obvious. She had to get out of here. She sipped the last drop of broth from her soup and pushed it away.

"Leave it here," he said. "Chef will take care of it."

She followed him to the manager's house in the center of Glade. The Grievers screeched whatever language they were saying inside the maze. It was more terrifying this time because one had been so close to killing her.

She stopped cold. After a couple steps Jeremy stopped too and turned to her.

"What?"

She could've sworn she heard her name. It was a girl's voice. She sounded like she was on the brink of tears. Calling her over and over again. Then it stopped just as quickly as it started, or when she thought it started. Maybe it was her imagination. Everyone on her side of the maze probably thinks she's dead, no they _know_ she's dead.

"It's nothing," she murmured.

He gave her an odd look but thankfully didn't ask any questions. When they reached the house he opened the door and beckoned her inside. It was smaller than her overseer's house and more run down. Several planks in the ceiling were missing. There was a layer of dirt over the wooden floor. Six chairs surrounded one in the center of the room. Six managers were standing around them, their conversations cutting short once she entered the room.

"Don't be nervous," Jeremy said behind her. He was still behind the doorway "They're going to talk to you."

"You're not coming in?" she asked.

"Only if the managers want you in," he answered. "It's kind of a stupid rule, but they'll throw a fit if I step inside."

"Alex," Andy greeted interrupting their conversation. The other five boys had taken a seat. She had a strong feeling that she'd be sitting in the chair in the middle of all of them.

"You can go now Jeremy," he directed.

Jeremy breathed a quick rush of air through his nose. Andy dipped his head waiting for more attitude. Jeremy merely rolled his eyes and reached for the knob and closed the door.

"Do you guys not like each other or something?" she asked.

"He's a smart ass and it pisses me off," he explained. "He's a damned good runner though so I can't give him a crummy job."

He turned to the other boys who were waiting in their chairs.

"Go ahead and take your seat in middle of the room."

Just as she suspected. She slowly walked towards the single chair that seemed like it would swallow her if she sat in it. She looked down avoiding the other manager's gazes. Some of them were whispering to each other. You know how when you see two people whispering while looking at you and you're not sure if they're actually talking about you? These boys were absolutely talking about her and it was killing her just thinking about it.

Andy wasted no time once she sat down.

"So Alex, tell us about you're side of the glade," he began.

"It's just like this one, really," she answered. "Except it's filled with, you know girls."

"How long have you been here?" a manager asked. Thin eyebrows and a set of wide blue eyes.

"Two months," she said.

"What's the longest one of your girls has been here?" Andy asked.

"4 years."

There was a low murmur among the boys.

"One year longer than us," another manager with long brown hair noted. "Have you been trying to find an exit too?"

"That whole time," she replied.

"How'd Jeremy find you?" Andy asked.

"He just found me," she said. "I got lost."

"How'd you get lost?" one of them asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "Everything just changed. The corridors, the walls, I can't explain it. It's like the maze changed or something."

"That or you got lost because you didn't know where you were going," Andy remarked. "Our runners are the smartest here. Maybe it's different for you guys."

Her head snapped up. The other managers turned to him surprised from his lack of sympathy.

"Our runners are the fastest and most intelligent out of the entire glade. How many runners have you lost?"

"Eight," Andy replied straightening in his chair.

"We've lost six and we've been here longer," she asserted. "One of them was a girl who'd been running for over 3 years. I'm betting that what happened to me happened to her and all the other runners we've lost. Whoever's controlling the maze is somehow changing it while runners are inside without us noticing."

"Possibly," Andy muttered.

"Not possibly, defiantly," she hissed. She was beginning to see why Jeremy didn't like him. "What we need to do is combine our people together, compare maps and knowledge so we can work on a way to find the exit faster."

"So what? The girls come over to our side?" Andy asked.

"No," she said shaking her head. "Our buildings are bigger and we have more open land. Our side will be better."

"So you expect us to move all our cattle, supplies, and tools through the maze?" Andy said throwing up his hands.

"We'll do it in a span of a few days with runners serving as guides," she determined. "Besides we're not smart enough to navigate the maze, remember?"

Andy lowered his eyebrows and turned to the other boys in the circle.

"What do ya fellas say? You wanna vote on it?"

The managers all nodded their heads.

"Alright then," Andy said. "All in favor of moving everybody out to the girls side raise your hands."

Four hands rose in the air. Alex smiled, partly because of her little victory, and partly because of the look of disappointment on Andy's face.

"I guess that settles it then," Andy shrugged. "We're moving over to the girls side tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3: Maze joggers

Before the boys could even go to the girl's side, Jeremy and Alex needed to figure out how to get there. It was pure luck that the maze changed for the boy's side to be accessible. She'd been through that strip five times without a problem until yesterday. Jeremy and the Runner's manager, Max, would retrace their steps back to where Jeremy found Alex, then hopefully Alex would lead them back to her people once she recognized her maze again. They were looking for something that would normally be a runner's worse nightmare.

They woke up at first light, 30 minutes before the maze opened to prepare for the journey. Water, food, running shoes, chocolate milk for the muscles. Jeremy didn't say much as they were getting ready in the map room. None of the other runners were going out today. It was too dangerous with the risk of the maze changing. She talked to Max mostly. It was funny because he was a lot like Natalie, her overseer. Positive and focused, always believing that the problem could be solved. She bet if Natalie and Max got together they'd figure out the entire maze in a few days, and they'd all be standing at the Creators' front door. She'd hate to be the one standing against their combined brainpower.

They stood quietly at the entrance to the Maze waiting for the doors to open. It was no different then what she'd been doing for her entire running career, except now there were two boys standing on either side of her.

A clap like thunder. Then rumbling. The three of them took a step back as they doors slowly began to open. The ground trembled as giant mountains of stone grinded against stone. It always made Alex a little nervous going into the maze as soon as it opened. She'd half expect a Griever to jump out and be like 'just kidding, I didn't feel like going back to sleep.'

"Ok, let's go and hope we get some luck for a change," Max said.

Just as they were about to enter a voice called from a distance away. The runners turned. Andy was jogging to them with a backpack and a water cantina jiggling in its side pocket.

"Don't tell me…" Jeremy grumbled.

Andy tried to make it seem like he wasn't out breath, but of course he was as evidence by his flaring nostrils. Alex shook her head. If he was this tired after jogging from his bed to the maze entrance then he'd slow them down, slimming their chances of finding her side of the maze.

"I'm going with you guys," he said after drawing a deep breath.

"Oh come on, dude," Jeremy scoffed. "You're not in shape for this. We'll be running fast for a long time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andy hissed.

"It means you'll fumble this whole ordeal," Jeremy asserted. "Why can't you just trust us to do our jobs?"

"I have to go with Jeremy on this one, man," Max agreed. "You already know the plan. Find the girls or not we'll still be back at the end of the day. You'll be the first one know what we find."

"I'm the head manager," he affirmed. "I've made my decision. I'm going with you guys."

Max and Jeremy glanced at each other. Max shrugged and Jeremy turned around rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Max replied. "Turn around so I can make sure your pack is secure."

As he was doing so Jeremy leaned close to Alex's ear and whispered, "You and I are gonna get to know each other during this trip. If I talk to that guy then I'll go crazy."

Alex didn't mind that at all. Talking about how much they disliked Andy was better than thinking about Grievers.

As expected, Andy was exhausted after 20 minutes, and they didn't even reach the middle tier of the maze. They waited five minutes for him get his legs back under him before they continued on, only to stop again ten minutes later. That's how the cycle went as early morning turned to mid-morning. Ten minutes of running, five minutes of resting. Jeremy had to separate himself during every break or else he'd snap Andy's neck. Max was looking more and more frustrated. Alex wanted to tell Max to take Andy back and let her and Jeremy go. But Andy would never go for that.

"Dude, why'd you come with us?" Jeremy exclaimed as they stopped for yet another break.

"I want to see the other side," he panted and gulped another swig of water. He'd gone through his water too fast and now was drinking Max's water.

"You would've once we found it!" Alex snarled. "You're dead weight."

"Watch your mouth, girl," he growled.

"Or what?" she said stepping closer to him. "What're you gonna do? I'll wipe the floor with you, you slow punk."

He sprung to his feet and got right in her face. His hot breath was blowing her hair strands away from her forehead.

"You got a lotta balls for such a small chick," he hissed.

"Yeah," she muttered. "A lot more than you."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jeremy uncross his arms and curl his fists. She had a feeling that if Andy laid a hand on her that'd be all the excuse he'd need to come flying in.

"We're wasting time!" Max shouted pushing them both away. "It's almost afternoon and we're nowhere close to spot where Jeremy found you."

"How are we supposed to get there when we have to wait for him?" Alex asked.

"I can keep up," Andy asserted.

"Max, come on," Jeremy said. "Take Andy back and let us go."

"You can't tell Max what to do!" Andy exclaimed. "And certainly not me either."

"Max, we have to get to that spot today," Jeremy continued. "We have to warn the girls about the maze changing. If not then more of their runners will die. That's not worth letting Andy play maze runner."

"You know what Jeremy? I oughta…"

"Shut up, Andy," Max grumbled.

The three of them stared at Max. Andy's face transitioned from surprise, to anger, and finally to embarrassment.

"I'm the runner manager and we're in the maze," Max said. "I'm in charge here. Jeremy is right. We're going back and they're moving on."

Andy was quiet. His eyes shifted to each of their faces. A part of Alex felt sorry for him. He looked so pathetic standing there so out of place.

"Let's go," Andy muttered.

Max nodded and faced Jeremy.

"If you don't find anything then return back. If you do then you can stay there over night. Don't do anything stupid."

"Got it," Jeremy said. "I won't let you down, man."

The two boys shook hands. Max smiled slightly before flicking his head to Andy and they were off, disappearing behind a corner. Just from that quick exchange Alex could tell Jeremy respected his manager. There was a hint of emotion when he shook his hand. Almost like a promise that he wouldn't die.

"Let's move," he said running before the last word came out of his mouth.

They moved much faster without Andy handicapping them. In less than an hour they reached the spot where Jeremy saw her. The long corridor. The memories from yesterday rushed back into her head. Falling to her knees in tears, imagining her death, the fear, paralyzing fear.

"This is it," Jeremy said.

Alex didn't say anything back. She started forward with Jeremy following. They walked slowly, checking the walls, looking for any marks in the dirt. It was early afternoon so they had plenty of time to investigate. Up and down the corridor they went, looking for any clues on how to change the maze. Every two minutes Jeremy would look at her checking if any of it looked familiar. She'd shake her head every time. Her patience with both him and this maze was thinning fast.

"Anything?" Jeremy finally asked out loud after the fifth time they walked down the corridor.

"I would tell you, Jeremy," she said. "Please, just don't talk for five minutes that's all I ask. Matter a fact just stand over there. I need to focus."

He shot her a sour look, but strolled over to the maze wall and leaned against it crossing his arms. She drew a deep breath. She had to think back to when she got lost. She closed her eyes tightly straining to recall where she was when the maze changed. She had to remember where she was standing the moment she turned around. Her eyes fluttered open. She was walking with her hand grazing the walls. She was pulling the vines of the granite because she was bored. She stared at the wall. There were vines strewn across it. What if…

She walked along the wall pulling the vines as she went. Jeremy watched her curiously. He assumed she was redoing everything she had been doing when the maze changed on her. He started to wonder what he'd do if they managed to get to her glade. What was it like living with all girls? It couldn't be like living with boys. Alex alone was different from any person he'd meet in his glade. She wasn't trying to force her superiority on anyone. She spoke what was on her mind, but not in a way to make her appear macho. She was kinder and more in touch with her emotions, a quality that he wished he saw more often. She was pretty in a way too. It was the little things she did. Flipping her hair to one shoulder exposing her neck, her checks turning rosy red after a long run, her dark brown eyes narrowing when she was concentrating. He was probably didn't stand much of a chance with her. No doubt a better-looking guy would sweep her away soon enough, someone who she could talk to with it getting awkward. He was good at holding a conversation with guys, but when he talked to her he'd catch himself staring, her words flying over his head. He was sure she noticed. He bet it weirded her out. As soon as the boys joined the girls they'll probably never talk to each other again. He'll just have to pretend like it won't bother him, just like when his best bud Philip died in the fire 3 months and 11 days ago.

He watched her pull harder on the vines. Whatever she was doing wasn't working. Walking along the wall grabbing plants was a sure sign of desperation. If she'd stooped to that level of despair then they had no chance of finding her side of the maze.

She was gone.

It took a second for his mind to catch up with his eyes. He jumped away from the wall and stared in disbelief. She simply disappeared; the only sign left of her was her footprints in the dirt. He ran to the exact spot where she vanished. He waved his hand over where she was a moment ago.

She reappeared nearly falling flat on her face if Jeremy didn't catch her.

"What happened?" he asked setting her back on her feet.

She had a huge smile on her face and her eyes glowed like she'd discovered fire. Jeremy lips curled into a smile too. He knew without her saying a word.

She found her side of the maze.


	4. Chapter 4: A New Beginning

They sailed through the corridors, gaining more energy as they ran. The anticipation was powering Alex's limbs to go faster. She could only imagine the looks on the girl's faces once they saw that she was not only alive, but with a boy. Her part of the maze felt like a second home. She knew every crevice and upturned rock. She was lost and out of place for over a day now. First by landing in the boys maze, then being surrounded by and living with boys. She still couldn't explain what jumped them both to her maze. It was some kind of invisible portal triggered by pulling the vines. At least that was Jeremy's best explanation for what happened. But that begged a lot of questions: Were the boys and girls in two different mazes? Did the creators have two Glades they were monitoring? The girls and boys pretty much had their mazes mapped out. If there were an exit to another glade both sides would've found each other years ago. The two teenagers had no idea what the portal originally was meant for, but the Gladers could use it to transport themselves out of here. They'd have to figure out how it worked, but at least it was something.

They zipped by the last corner and they could finally see the exit. There was a runner with her back facing the doors. She must've just gotten back. Alex recognized her immediately.

"Natalie!" she exclaimed once they were at last clear of the maze.

She stiffened. Alex and Jeremy slowed to a stop. Natalie slowly turned on her heels. She covered her mouth with her hand once she saw her, but didn't move.

"It's me!" Alex exclaimed again. Her voice caught in her throat. It was so good to see her again.

Natalie ran to her and Alex did the same. They both embraced each other. It hurt running into her but she didn't care. She heard her Overseer sob over her shoulder. That set Alex's tears free. She tried to hold them back to look somewhat strong for her Natalie, but her crying set them both loose. The two girls stood hugging each other crying their eyes out. Jeremy smiled as he watch them, not noticing another girl emerge from the maze exit behind him.

" _What the hell?"_ the girl murmured in bewilderment.

He turned to face her. The girl was beside herself. Her mouth hung open, her unblinking blue eyes as wide as plates. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight to his other foot.

"I came with, Alex," he said.

Her eyes shifted to the two girls who were still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alex!" she cried before rushing to them.

The girl joined them for at least a minute before sprinting to the glade telling everyone she saw the good news. Girls came pouring out from every corner of the Glade in no time. Jeremy reckoned that they shed enough tears for a week's supply of water. It was so bizarre, seeing only girls after living with guys for over a year and a half. Yesterday he didn't know what a girl really was until he met Alex. Now they were everywhere.

Soon the attention shifted to Jeremy who was still standing idly off to the side as the celebration commenced. Alex wiped the last of her tears away and took Jeremy by the hand and brought him closer to the crowd.

"I'd like to introduce you all to Jeremy," she began. "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him."

One of the girls stepped forward. She had short black hair and blue eyes that matched the sky. She was medium height in stature with a curvy waist. It was hard for Jeremy not to stare. She was looked so much older than the other girls. Every aspect about her was mature and fine lined. She wasn't up to par with Alex's pretty face, but everything else had an edge over the younger girl.

"Hi, I'm Brenda," she said with a smile reaching out her hand. "I'm the leader of the Glade."

"Hi, Brenda," he said shaking it.

Several of the girls giggled and Jeremy snapped his head in their direction.

"What did I say?"

"Sorry," Brenda said. "It's just that none of us remember ever hearing a boy's voice."

"Oh," he said. He wasn't the type of guy that liked to be the center of attention, especially when sixty girls were looking at him.

"I came here on my leader's behalf," he began. "Our Glade is smaller and our buildings aren't as big as yours from what Alex tells me. We'd like to move our people to your Glade."

A series of low whispers emanated from the girls. Many of them had survived for months without seeing a male. It'd become a part of life. Now not only were they going to see boys, but they were going to live with them.

"There are forty guys in his Glade, Brenda," Alex remarked. "They live like us. It won't take them long to adjust here."

"Oh, I'm fully onboard with it," Brenda replied. "But I want to know how you got to the boy's side. We can't do the talking here. The Overseers house would be best. That way everyone can hear your story."

The girls slowly cleared out walking in a large group towards the Overseers house. Jeremy couldn't believe it. The Overseers allowed Gladers inside their building? All of them? That was unheard of in his Glade. Brenda was actually welcoming too. She didn't manage to insult him like Andy insulted Alex the moment she arrived in the boy's Glade. Hopefully, she was the leader of all of them once the boys showed up. He had a feeling there'd be some guys that wouldn't like a girl being in charge, and Andy wouldn't just relinquish power. Even if he were given second he'd hate it.

"Jeremy," Alex said tapping his shoulder.

He turned to face her. She stood next to an Asian girl with short black hair that curled under her chin. The girl gazed at him in awe.

"This is my best friend, Sonja," Alex said. "She's been my day one since day one. Been here one month before me."

"Pleased to meet you, Sonja," Jeremy greeted.

"Do all boys look like you?" Sonja murmured.

"Trust me they don't," Alex remarked. He winced at her words. Was that meant as an insult or a compliment?

"Alex," Brenda called out. She was standing with her second, Wendy. "Get to the Overseers house. We've got people waiting."

Alex nodded and glanced at Jeremy.

"You don't have stage fright do you?"

"As matter of a fact, I do," he answered.

"Yeah," she replied. "So do I."

Alex and Jeremy stood in the center of the Overseer room floor with girls in rows of benches circling from the floor to the ceiling staring down at them. It was like an arena of some sort where the debates raged. The more Jeremy saw in how the girls ran their Glade, the more he wished he lived here instead. Here normal Gladers could have just as much input as an Overseer. They'd take part in the Overseers decision and even participate in voting. The Managers never counted votes from Gladers. They decided everything and then just tell the boys to shut up and quit being a wuss about it.

"So this portal," Brenda said. She was sitting on the first row with her legs crossed with the other Overseers on either side of her. Jeremy had already told them everything he could about his Glade, and Alex had told her story about meeting Jeremy and discovering the gateway to her maze.

"You triggered it by pulling the vines?"

"Yes," Alex answered. "There could be more portals out there. One might lead to an exit."

More thrilled whispers rang from the Gladers. It was difficult to keep the girls quiet this particular night with the constant stream of news. Boys living with them, portals, the possibly of finding a way out, it was impossible not to keep the girls silent.

"If we bring our people together then our chances will be a lot better," Alex continued. "I motion to vote on this decision."

"I support your vote," Brenda replied and stood up sweeping her eyes over the girls seated above her.

"All in favor of allowing the boys into our Glade raise your hands."

Every single hand shot up in the air. Brenda didn't bother to count. The decision was unanimous.

"All oppose?"

No hands rose.

"The boys will come," she determined. "Plans will be set forth to move them here. It will take some getting used to for all of us, but we must welcome them with open arms."

"What about Overseer positions?" the agricultural Overseer asked.

"We'll have two Overseers," Brenda answered. "The boy and the girl."

Alex and Jeremy glanced at each other. Brenda and Andy as Co-Head Overseers?

"Any other questions?"

The girls looked at each other aimlessly. There's nothing they could think of besides the boys expected arrival. Alex had changed the entire dynamic of the Glade in one day. No more boredom, no more familiarity. The routine of running into the maze, poking around and coming back just to do it all again the next day was over. Now they were searching for something real. Something that brought hope. And the girls wouldn't be alone. The Glade would double in size and their combined knowledge with the boys will put them years ahead of where they are now. Alex was ready for this. She'd been ready ever since she got here. At last she had the opportunity to solve the maze and go home. She wanted so badly to see her parent's faces. It tore her insides that she couldn't even remember their voices. The creators will pay for what they did to her. They'll pay for what they did to all of the children of the Glade, dead and alive.

 _Hello my people! Simonfreewriter here. Just giving y'all a glimpse in the direction I'm going with this story. I plan on making this long and intricate, honestly it depends on where this story takes me. I use this writing as a warm up for the book I'm working on. But I will finish it to keep y'all happy! Here's a little sneak peak on what's to come. Peace!_

Alex's eyes fluttered open. She tried to sit up but was cut short by a slab of rock resting just inches above her nose. She coughed several times, hearing the echo ring throughout wherever she was. She gingerly pushed herself backwards with one hand and feeling the ceiling above her until the fallen rocks allowed enough height for her to crotch on her knee. She pulled out her last remaining glow stick from her back pocket and held it up. Cracked stone and twisted metal laid all around her in an orange glow. There was an path in all the rubble like a dark cave entrance. She moved forward and her bow and quiver jiggled on her back. At least she still had her bow and arrows. Not that it'd do much good if a Griever jumped out from the darkness. She wouldn't have time to react. Her limbs were stiff without the fuel from the adrenaline that had long faded. The memories rushed back into her mind. Running from the Grievers, darting through the maze, hundreds of explosions erupting at once, feeling Jeremy's hand slip away from her own. Now she was here encompassed in darkness.

She was surprised nothing was broken. Yeah, her head was throbbing, but besides a few cuts she was fine. She was lucky to be alive. But she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. If there were Grievers here that survived the maze walls crashing down on their heads then getting crushed to death was much better than slowly being eaten.

She flinched when she heard a noise to her left. She wasn't sure how far it was by how sound was traveling through the cave. It sounded mechanical. Could be a Griever. No, most defiantly a Griever.

The noise started again. This time a few words followed by a fizzled voice.

 _ALPHA...WICKED...READJUST_

"Jeremy?" she said in almost a whisper.

The words kept repeating. She never heard a Griever talk before, maybe if it was talking that meant it was dying. It could give her another clue about an exit, and an explanation for why a Griever attacked her and Jeremy in broad daylight.

She inched in between the fallen rocks, sometimes crawling on her stomach barely squeezing through tiny crevices. The voice grew louder and a pale light peaked through the granite. When she reached a fissure that was tall enough for her to stand up she glanced around expecting to see a bloated Griever body lying somewhere in the dirt.

It wasn't a Griever at all. It was a computer. A thin black laptop with green words flashing on the screen. The voice continued from its tiny embedded speakers.

 _ALPHA...WICKED...READJUST_

Alpha. Wicked. She'd seen those words before written on the walls of both mazes. She remembered asking Natalie about it when she first starting running, but she simply told her that the words have always been there and that no one really knew their significance. Those words had to mean something. The words _press enter_ were under the three bolded words. She hovered a finger over the ENTER key. Then a thought came to her. What if pressing enter allowed Grievers to come to the other maze during the day? If that happened then Grievers would slaughter her whole colony. She couldn't let that happen. She found the DELETE button one key above ENTER. She pressed it and held her breath. The screen cut out and the voice stopped. The internal fan inside the computer fell silent. She pressed delete again, pressing down harder each time in hopes that something would happen. Nothing. She pounded on random keys. Just when things were looking good. Just when they were on the verge of finding an exit in this maze, this happens. The creators must want them to stay here forever.

She almost didn't notice the small opening a foot above her. If it wasn't for the ray of sunlight that peaked through she would've turned around and tried to find Jeremy. She leaned forward and hoisted herself up to look out through the opening. A fresh breath of air scattered her hair, but she didn't relish in it because of what she saw. An ocean of broken rock and boulders stretched in front of her for miles. The entire maze had been demolished. She was trapped in an endless chasm of rubble. A fallen maze. She hoped that this cave in was an isolated incident. How was she supposed to get back to her maze? How was she supposed to find Jeremy? That is if he wasn't dead already. If he wasn't Griever food then he was plastered under thousands of tons of rock. But she had to make sure. There was no way she was going to leave before finding him, or what was left of him. She lowered herself back to the ground. She struggled to stay calm, tried to breath and think.

Clicking, a motor whirling to life.

She spun around and her heart fell to the pit of her stomach. Standing only a few feet away was Griever staring right at her with hot red eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: Move in days

_Hello everyone! Before I continue I want to make an announcement:_

 _I want to let my readers be aware that there will be sexual activity among the characters. I firmly believe that I'd be doing a huge disservice to my characters if I only wrote them just kissing and holding hands. We have a bunch of sexually frustrated teens living together without adult supervision. What do you expect really? I'm not going to water down my writing. It won't be straight up erotica, but it won't be like the phenomenon I've been noticing with many young adult books. You can write about boys getting eaten by Grievers, Cade consumed by mutants in the Hunger Games, throats slashed, people getting shot and blown to pieces, BUT GOD FORBID two consenting teens having sex. Killing isn't natural, sex is. I went to high school in Texas and there was no sex education at all. No one talked about it in a constructive way, us kids had to learn things by porn and each other. The movies we watched in school could have a violence scene, but if a sex scene came up parents would instantly complain. If our heroes we read about can have safe sex, then so can we. My characters are human and they have human drives. If anyone is offended by sexual content then you don't have to read this story. I respect your decision. That is why I am writing this warning out of respect for people who don't want to be exposed to such content. Whew! Now that that's out of the way I hope you enjoy the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it!_

 _Peace!_

One week. That's how long it's been since Alex met Jeremy. That's how long it's been since the boys moved to the girls' Glade. Never in her short two months she's been here has a week gone by that fast. First, she had to show the other girls how to get to the boys' side. Even though they'd wait for the boys to reappear through the portal to their maze it was still good to let them know how it worked. They played with it, jumping through and coming back. It amazed them every time a girl vanished in thin air. The technology for the portal was beyond anyone's dreams. But it was the Creators; if they could build multiple mazes along with death machines preying for humans at night then a portal wasn't far fetched. The work came when the boys arrived carrying their supplies and tools with them. The boys traveled in groups of ten lead by a girl runner, hauling clunk and dropping it off at whatever station the equipment belonged, and they would turn around and head back into the maze for more. The girls would unload whatever they brought to put the new gear to use as soon as possible.

Alex didn't see Jeremy at all during that week. The boy runners were guiding the movers in their maze. She doubted she'd have time to talk even if he was with her. The work was fast paced. Everyone wanted to bring as much crap as they could before nightfall. Controlling the animals was the hardest part, especially the cows. For some reason they hated the narrow corridors and would sometimes just plant their feet and refuse to move. One time there was one that bolted away from a boy's rope and vanished around a corner. He started forward to run after it but she stopped him. It was evening and the maze was about to close. They didn't have time to catch it. The poor thing was Griever food now.

It'd been a while since she woke up in the morning with a purpose. She was excited to go back into the maze. Once move in was finished they could work on finding a portal out of here. It wasn't just her. There was a look of euphoria on the girls' faces that in the past were filled with gloom. Morale was at an all time high. A lot of the Overseers and Managers had already met and got along swell, even Maggie the bitch was warming up to the Builder Manager. Natalie, Max, Andy, and Brenda were the only ones who hadn't met each other yet. She was looking forward to Natalie and Max meeting, but felt the opposite for Andy and Brenda. After the vote Brenda pulled Alex aside and asked her what she thought of the boy's leader. While she didn't want to start their inevitable partnership on the wrong foot, she wasn't going to lie and say he was a great guy. She told him what he said to her while she was in the boy's glade and what he did in the maze trying to remain unbiased in her story. Brenda listened to her solemnly, sometimes nodding as she spoke. She didn't say it, but it was obvious that the type of guy she envisioned didn't match up to what Alex was saying. She felt sour about hurting her dream of a powerful pair. Brenda was the sweetest girl in the glade, but she wasn't naïve. She knew she'd have to keep a wary eye on Andy. Alex suggested maybe they should all vote on whose leader, though Brenda dismissed it.

"We'll find a way to work together," she merely said.

Alex sat alone in the mess hall waiting for Sonja to come back from working Agriculture so she could join her. The boys were pretty much moved in by this point minus a few extra supplies that were still trickling in. The Agriculture sheeks had been working double time with their male counterparts to feed a population that had doubled in size. Alex only saw Sonja when she came back home to their tent they shared, too tired do anything but give her a nod before she plopped on her bed. This would be the first time they sat down in talked since move in started.

"Alex," a deep voice uttered.

She glanced behind her and smiled. Jeremy walked to her and sat next to her on the bench. It was like she saw him for the first time again. Those hazel eyes, his dark hair damp with sweat, and he was actually smiling. She'd never saw him do that before.

"Longtime no see," he said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure," she replied. "Did you get back from the maze?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I was actually trying to find my tent, but I got a little lost."

"There's a sea of them," she said laughing. "But how'd you end up in the mess hall?"

"All of this looking around made me hungry," he said. "What're you gonna eat?"

"I've been craving fried chicken," she replied. "It's probably because I was herding chickens through the maze today. Now I wanna eat them."

He actually laughed. It was the first time his face wasn't so dark, like a beam of light shined on face. His smile, the way his nose wrinkled, his eyes twinkling, it was nice to look at. She set a mental note to try to make him laugh more.

"Aren't you two cute together," Sonja remarked.

Their eyes turned to a grinning Sonja who had one hand on her hip. She had a black bandana tied around her forehead and her white shirt was stained with dirt and grass marks.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh come on," she sighed reaching out to give Alex a hug. "Don't you two get it?"

"Get what?" Alex asked.

She drew a deep breath and sat on the bench across from them. "I'll explain this to you two since you've been out of the loop. It's already starting. People are pairing up. I saw Olivia spending some alone time with a guy yesterday. It was the real deal. They were giving each other some lovey dovey eyes. I wasn't spying or anything, but believe me when I say that couple's going places."

She glanced from side to side before speaking again.

"Even Maggie the bitch is with somebody."

"What?" Alex spat. "Who could like _her?"_

"Who's Maggie?" Jeremy asked.

"Her name is Maggie the bitch," Sonja corrected. "And she's our sworn enemy."

Jeremy looked to Alex for clarification.

"She's a bit like Andy," she explained. "Except she talks to you like you're stupid."

"Oh yeah I've heard about that guy," Sonja remarked. "A lot of the boys hate him."

"Including yours truly," Jeremy said. "But we couldn't do anything about it since he's been in our Glade the longest."

"Do you guys like Brenda?"

"So much so that we want her to be the sole leader instead her and Andy playing king and queen," he replied.

That was a relief to hear. For a while Alex thought that the boys didn't want Brenda just because she was a girl. If it had come down to a vote then it'd be close. But Jeremy wasn't the only one who didn't like Andy and by the way he's talking a majority of them would vote for Brenda. She knew the girls would definitely go for Brenda, especially when they met him and realize how much of a jerk he is. It probably will go to a vote soon enough. No doubt he'll do something so stupid that everyone will call for a meeting to get rid of him. Seeing the exit will be the only thing better than watching Andy's face as every hand in the Overseers building rises for Brenda.

"Anyways," Sonja said returning to the previous subject. "You two better get the ball rolling if it's going to happen. You're both hot the market."

" _We're_ hot on the market?" Alex asked grinning. Her heart fluttered at the thought of guys thinking about how pretty she was as she passed by. But she mentioned both of them. That meant girls had their eyes on Jeremy too. That thought kind of ruined the moment.

"Yeah," Sonja continued impatiently. "But it won't last forever. People are meeting people. I can only imagine how many relationships will crop up after tonight."

"What's going on tonight?" Jeremy asked.

"Crap you guys," Sonja muttered shaking her head. "I swear there should be a briefing for you runners on everything that's going on in the glade. The move-in party tonight. The agriculture and cooking people are making beer. It's going to be great."

"I might go," Alex shrugged.

"Oh no," Sonja affirmed. "You're going. You deserve some fun. We all deserve some fun."

"I don't know," Alex replied. "Are you going Jeremy?"

Before he could answer Sonja cut him off.

"If you're going then Jeremy's going, trust me honey."

Jeremy scowled but didn't deny her assumption.

"I'll think about it," he murmured.

"Yeah whatever, man," Sonja said and reached out to hold Alex's hand. "We are going. Ok? No ifs ands or buts about it."

Alex snorted a laugh before nodding. Sonja was right. Going to the first party that she remembered would be a nice change from running through the maze. Who knows? Maybe she'd met someone. If she was being honest, she hoped that a spark would happen between her and Jeremy. She didn't know how he felt about her. He was either nonchalant, or he just wouldn't talk at all. Maybe he was being nice. Using her as practice to talk to other girls. She pictured him smiling and laughing with someone else in the corner, a lot happier than he ever was with her. Then they'd kiss and Alex would sit there watching feeling sick to her stomach. Clunk, why'd she agree to go to this stupid party?


	6. Chapter 6: Beer & Grievers

_hello my people! Sorry for the long wait. School's started up again and it's been putting a hurtin' on my time. I'll try to keep pumping these babies out weekly now that I'm in my groove. Anyways, enjoy my next installment!_

There were so many people. A huge crowd spilled out over the meadow next to the Overseer's house. A bonfire glowed in the center of the party. Giant barrels were laid in different places with a glader filling his or her cup with beer. The whole field rumbled with conversation. Mostly Gladers in circles talking, usually a boy or girl group exclusively, though a few brave souls were venturing towards the opposite sex. Alex has never seen all the girls so clean before. She'd taken a shower earlier before the lines came. Sonja said it was a 30-minute wait and the hot water was long gone when she turned the faucet. It took even longer to find what to wear. Alex's clothes were mostly worn out after countless hours of running and Sonja's were littered with dirt stains. Alex rummaged through her closet for something with the least amount of holes. She eventually found close fitting black pants and the only clean white shirt. Sonja insisted that they arrive late. That way the guys would talk to the early girls in the beginning and get used to them. The new girls would be like a splash of cold water. The boys would all notice them.

"All these options," Sonja observed smiling at a group of boys who turned to look at the pair.

"I wonder if Jeremy's here," Alex murmured.

"Forget about Jeremy," Sonja scoffed. "He's awkward anyway."

"I'm going to look for him," Alex said.

"No wait!" Sonja exclaimed pulling her arm. "You can't leave me alone."

"Why not?" Alex asked. "You said you wanted to talk to guys. Well, here they are."

"But not by myself," Sonja hissed. "Come on, 20 minutes that's all I ask."

Alex's face singed with frustration, but only for a moment. She understood why Sonja was so adamant about doing this together. She wasn't sure she herself could walk up to a bunch of guys and start talking. To be honest, she was scared of meeting a new boy. So many things could go wrong. What if he thought she was weird and told his friends how strange she was? What if he flat out rejected her in front of everyone?

The girls filled their cups to the brim with beer and set out boldly to make some approaches. Only they'd hover near a circle of guys for no more than 30 seconds. If the guys didn't do anything then they'd float to a different location, or if they did talk to them (which was rare) then it'd go solid for a minute or two and then quickly dry up. The worst part was standing there waiting for one party to leave the conversation. It was horrifying.

"We need to drink more to take off the edge," Alex said as they retreated back to the beer barrels.

By her third cup she was feeling a little woozy, but she'd turn into such a social butterfly that she could keep a conversation with a tree. Sonja was defiantly in the zone. They talked to this one group of boys for the longest time. Sonja really liked Garrett and they were hitting it off pretty well. It was odd to watch. Like the two of them were separated from the entire party. Brad, the guy Alex was talking to, was kind of cool. He was drunk, more drunk than she was and kept saying that they should go somewhere quiet to talk. She'd politely deny him and he'd slap his forehead and laugh blaming his "aggression" on the alcohol.

Alex felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and a huge smile formed on her face when she saw who it was.

Max.

"Hey!" she greeted throwing her arms around his neck. He almost fell backwards not expecting her to throw all her body weight on him.

"Whoa," he laughed. "Hey, Alex."

"Max, I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed.

Yeah, she was drunk.

"I know," he replied. "I can tell you're having a good time."

"I am," she said. "Have you met Natalie yet?"

"I have actually," he answered. "I'm on my way to the map room to compare our two maps."

"You're _working?"_ her face twisted in disgust. "Do you and Natalie ever have fun?"

"Not everyone's definition of fun is the same," he returned. "Anyway, I've got to run. It was good seeing you again, Alex."

He walked a couple steps before turning around again.

"Oh and Jeremy's looking for you."

Her eyes light up.

"Where?"

He pointed over her shoulder and she followed his finger. She half expected him to be off to himself somewhere away from crowd sipping his drink while looking on. She didn't think he'd be surrounded by three giggling girls pushing against each other just to get close to him while he sat on a log smiling. Her smile dropped and that familiar weight in her chest felt like it would break her back. It's like what Sonja said. They're hot on the market.

"I don't know," she replied. "He looks like he's having fun."

"He's been asking for you all night," Max said. "Go talk to him."

She looked unsure. He sighed and took her hand leading her to Jeremy. He did it so abruptly that she didn't have a chance to pull away, and before she knew it she was standing right in front of him.

"Found her, Jeremy," Max said and turned around and left her among the three girls competing for Jeremy's attention.

"Alex," Jeremy said standing up. His eyes glowed in the firelight. He genuinely seemed happy to see her.

"Hey," Alex said trying to keep her voice from slurring.

"When'd you get here?"

"Oh a while ago," she replied glancing at the other girls.

Jeremy noticed her uneasiness. He quietly excused himself from the group of girls and took her hand. She was caught off guard by his sudden boldness, but she was more than willing to move with him. The girls cleared the way looking slightly disappointed. Alex couldn't really focus on their faces. She let out a burp as he lead her away from the firelight and into the meadow near the maze walls. They were both fueled by liquid courage. She wondered how far the alcohol would take them.

He sprawled out on the field. The moon replaced the fire glow for the night. They could still hear the chatter from the party, but for now it was just them. The maze walls towered above them, like parents silently watching their children. She laid down next to him gazing at it. Whenever she saw the maze walls her mind immediately formed an image of an exit. A beautiful exit with flowers and pine trees lining the door, and a single ray of sunlight shining on the button to open it. It was a stupid fantasy. She'd even have dreams about it. She wanted nothing more than for it to be a reality. Or at least she thought, because at this moment she wanted nothing more than for him to reach out and touch her.

"You ever wonder what it's like up there?" Jeremy asked.

"Where?"

"The moon," he replied. "You think anyone's been there yet?"

She stared hard at the glowing white ball that was swaying back and forth. It seemed so close enough to reach, unless it was massive giving a false illusion that it was close.

"I don't know," she answered. She covered her mouth to hide a burp.

"If we ever get out of here I'd like to go there," he said. "But I don't know where I'd rather be right now, up there, or with you."

She turned her head and he was gazing back at her. He lifted her arm and grazes her cheeks with his fingers. His touched sent shivers through her body. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She'd think was dreaming if his hand wasn't gliding down her face and through her hair. He scooted closer to where their hips were touching and turned on his side. She did the same. Their eyes were glued to each other as they lay in the grass, his hand still caressing her cheeks. Despite all of this, she didn't know if she should kiss him. She didn't even remember how to kiss.

She didn't have to worry for long.

His hand trailed over to the back of her head and he gently pulled her lips towards his own. When their lips touched she almost giggled. Not because anything was funny, but because his lips kind of tickled. It wasn't unbearable; it felt nice, like taking a cold shower after a long run in the maze. She grinned as they kissed. She felt his other hand slid under her shirt and trail along her back. She wasted no time in reaching under his shirt and feeling his chest, arms, and stomach. She'd been dying to do that. Her fingers circled around the hard bumps spaced evenly apart in his abdomen. He pulled back slightly and for a terrifying moment she thought he was going to cut it short. Instead, he reached back for his collar and peeled off his shirt. Her heart was thundering so hard she was surprised he couldn't hear it.

"To make it easier for you," he murmured before kissing her again.

Whatever inhibitions she had quickly disappeared the moment his shirt came off. Her hands freely roamed every inch of him. He was getting more aggressive too, cupping her breasts and tracing her figure. Their lips were locked together and their tongues did an endless dance. The world had faded away. The two Gladers were in their own universe. The Grievers howled within the maze, sensing the heat of two wrangling bodies on the other side of the walls. But for the first time since they've both arrived in their glades they didn't even notice. Alex rolled over on top of him throwing her shirt away before bending down to kiss him. It was like if she weren't kissing she'd die of hunger. She felt his heart pound in her chest. The thought that she was exciting him turned her on even more.

The loudest noise she'd ever heard shook her insides. Jeremy instinctively grabbed her turning her over using his body to shield her. The ground vibrated. She saw double, triple, quadruple of everything. She covered her ear curling up into a ball as the sound continued. It was like someone was bashing her eardrums with a hammer over and over again. It was so loud that she couldn't tell what it sounded like. Just an awful boom.

It stopped.

Her ears were ringing. Jeremy was talking to her but She couldn't hear him. Being a little drunk wasn't helping much. She glanced at the maze. She feared that the walls might've tipped over. That'd be the only explanation for the loud noise. But it still stood. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A large group was going in a hurry. They were running to the elevator. Something wasn't right. She leapt to her feet and pulled Jeremy up to race after them. A crowd formed around the elevator. Alex sighed bouncing on her toes trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Jeremy tapped her bare shoulder. When she turned she noticed his shirt was gone. Hers was too. They'd left them in the field. But they weren't the only ones without one from what she saw, besides no one really cared at the moment. Jeremy bent down on one knee and it took her a couple seconds for her to figure out what he wanted her to do. She moved behind him and lifted both her legs over his shoulders and rested her pelvis against the back of his neck. He hoisted her up and she could see well over the Gladers. Brenda was in the center next to the elevator. Her brow was low over her eyes. She had something in her hand. A note. A message from the creators?

"What does the letter say?" someone shouted from the crowd.

Her head snapped up and she eyed the crowd for a long time. Judging by her expression it wasn't good.

"The creators aren't sending supplies here anymore," she finally answered. "They're going to be coming through the other maze from now on."

She paused. Alex swallowed hard. A sick feeling slammed the pit of her stomach.

"The Grievers have a new weapon that'll activate if you get to close to one of their nests, even during the day. It's called a stinger. That's all it says."

The Glade fell silent as another Griever within the maze bellowed another high mechanical shrill.


	7. Chapter 7: Love sucks

Jeremy rested his head on his pillow after he'd gotten up for the third time to take a tinkle. The alcohol was wearing its welcome now. His roommate was fast asleep in the cot on the other side of the tent. He was a heavy sleeper so he never had to worry about waking him up. He heard low moans from the tent next door. Girl moans. Another couple was doing the deed. It was the tenth time he'd heard those sounds tonight. He thought about Alex. She could easily be lying next to him right now. Maybe even join the chorus of love. He thought back to when they were kissing in the field. Feeling her soft lips, her smooth skin, his hands exploring an unfamiliar world. The way the strands of her hair swayed in front of her face with the glowing moon above. The dewy grass bending against their combined body weight. It was like something out of a fantasy. He couldn't get the image of her out of his head. It was like a virus infected his brain. A video stuck on replay. He tried every technique he could think of to fall asleep. Count sheep? No use. Focus on something and stare until he dozed off? Nada. He even thought about the maze, visualizing himself sprinting through the corridors noting the section numbers. It worked in the past when all else failed. When he just wanted to escape from reality he'd think about the maze, even imagining a Griever jumping out of a hole somewhere. Faster and faster he went, flying through the maze where he'd become more at home than anywhere else.

He saw her at the end of a long passageway. The same passageway where they first met. She was on her knees covering her face with her hands. She was still in his head, but he couldn't leave her. He had to help her. He ran to her calling her name. She looked up. Her eyes were brimming with tears. A smile formed on her face when she saw him. She jumped to her feet just in time to absorb his embrace. He pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her as if he hadn't seen her in decades. He'd never felt this way about someone before. No one has ever sparked so many emotions that he normally suppressed. That's why it had to stop.

He shut his eyes to cut off the daydream. He couldn't go back now. Not after what he said to her after Brenda gave the news.

The Gladers slowly cleared away from the elevator. A few resumed the party, but most went back to their tents. New couples accompanied each other to whichever tent they decided on spending more time alone together. It was like a fog had descended over the glade. No one said anything really. Everyone just walked to the sound of howling grievers that now had a new method to kill. Alex reached for Jeremy's hand. He drew back and took a couple steps away from her. She stared at him puzzled at his sudden coldness. He looked to the side frowning. He wasn't sure he could look her in the eye and say what he was about to say. When the Glade shook like that, it reminded him of all he'd lost. Shook him back to the reality that they were still in the Glade with machines out there programmed to kill them. A voice in the back of his head was screaming for him to let her in. She was there. He could simply say he had a weird flash back, take her hand, and take her back to his tent. It didn't matter if they finish what they started out on the field. He needed to hold her. When he was with her he felt raw, and that was nice for a while, not having to put up some quiet tough guy face. But he'd done this to someone before. A friend that'd been a runner when he first entered his Glade months back. Philip. Every time he thought taking Alex back, Philips face appeared. He had to get them both of out his head. They were going to drive him insane.

"I'm not going with you," he said.

She tilted her head but said nothing. Listening.

"We can't be together," he continued. "Because…"

He tried to think of a good reason. He didn't want to say he was afraid of loosing her. He didn't want to tell her that if she died he'd lose any will to go on. All of his motivation to find the exit will falter if she was snatched away. No matter how true it was it seemed so weak. Maybe living with guys for so long had numbed his emotions.

"We just can't," he finished.

She was still silent. He thought she'd say something at least. Hopefully try to convince him to be with her. A part of him wanted to be convinced. He looked at her again for the first time since he let go of her hand.

Her lips were tightly pressed together. She was squinting her eyes and clenching her jaw, almost like she was holding something back.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She turned around and walked away, fast. He opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it. Nothing would soften the blow. It'd be best if he let her leave without making things worse than they were now.

Alex stormed in her tent and kicked over the rack of shoes standing next to her bed. Sonja wasn't here. She was probably with that one guy, Garrett. Who knows what they were doing right now. This was stupid. How can she be the first girl in this Glade who met a guy and not be with one right now? What really sucked were the pictures popping in her head of them together. Running through the maze together, eating together, finding the exit together.

She grabbed her pillow and squeezed it between her hands and plopped on her bed. What was wrong with her? Did he not like her? Did he meet another girl that was better than her? Did he just take her away because he thought she was easy?

A few tears slipped from her eyes. She'd never felt emptier, not even when she was lost in the maze. There was no point in trying to think anything else. All of the damn hope, the imagining. She was 95% sure that he'd burst in her tent apologizing like crazy, and of course she'd stick up her nose for a minute or two to make him apologize some more. He'd have to feel what she was feeling for a short while. But of course she'd grudgingly accept his apology and he'd take her in his arms again, whispering in her ear about how much he needed her.

So she wanted for the scenario to play out. Each minute she waited added a new twist to it. 10 minutes went by…30….an hour…two hours.

He wasn't coming back.

Sonja arrived through the tent folds with a beaming smile on her face. Her cheeks were flushed red and her skin was almost glowing. Alex sat up and weakly returned her smile. Normally, Sonja would pick up that something was wrong. That's why she liked her so much. But she was so high on love that she didn't notice.

"Garrett is amazing," Sonja sang sitting next to her. "He's just…he's just so cool."

"I'm glad you found the right guy," Alex replied. Her voice faltered slightly. Sonja picked it up this time.

"What's wrong?" she asked scowling. "What happened between you and Jeremy?"

Alex's attempt at a smile withered. Her best friend was so blissful. It'd be selfish to ruin her moment with her sob story.

"Oh, you know," Alex replied shrugging. She was trying so freaken hard not to cry. "We had fun. We talked."

"What happened, Alex?" She glared at her. Intimation was usually how she got the truth out of her.

"I don't want to talk about that," she returned. "Let's talk about Garrett."

"Alex, I swear if you don't tell me what happened I'll never talk to you again," she growled.

Alex stared at her. The heat behind her eyes was beginning to burn now.

"Alex?" Sonja murmured. She wasn't angry anymore. She looked worried. She scooted closer till their bare legs were touching. Alex lower lip trembled. She tried to stop it, instead her nose started flaring. A few more tears streamed down her cheeks.

She finally lost it.

She buried her face in her hands and began bawling her eyeballs out. She felt Sonja's arms wrap around her shoulders.

"He said we couldn't be together," she said wiping her runny nose.

"Why?" Sonja gasped.

"I don't know!" Alex exclaimed. "He just said we couldn't be together. I couldn't even speak, Sonja. I had to get away from him."

Sonja didn't say anything. She patted the sit of her friend's face as Alex learned over to cry on her shoulder.

"He really hurt me," she murmured. "This hurts really bad. I thought we were gonna be a thousands things, but never apart."

The young runner, the most courageous and cleverest of them all, was stumped and defeated by a boy. She'd rather face a hundred Grievers than feel this pain. At least she had her strength. The powerful will to go even when there was no way out. She knew her abilities in the maze. But this was new territory. She was helpless in this new dimension. Why was this happening to her of all people? She didn't know a thing about boys or relationships. She just wanted to be with the boy who made her feel safe and complete. They both knew each other's worlds. They both were explorers who were at home on the move. She thought for sure he felt the same way. Guess not. He threw her away like she was a piece of trash. The worst part about it was they'd have to see each other again tomorrow, maybe even work together. Finding the exit was bigger than the two of them, she knew that. The Gladers were counting on them. Their parents beyond the maze were counting on them. But for now that was all clunk. She'll think about it tomorrow. For tonight she'll rest her head on her friend and keep crying until she got tired and allowed sleep to serve as a temporary respite.


	8. Chapter 8: Co-ed

The runners were called into the map room the next morning. It'd be the first time the boys and girl runners would all stand under the same roof. Besides Max and Jeremy, Alex didn't know any of the other boy runners. Not like she felt like meeting any of them anyway at the moment. She felt like utter crap. Her eyes had cleared a little since she woke up. She spent an extra ten minutes wiping away the dried tear stains on her cheeks. She kept replaying in her head on what she was going to do when she saw him. At first she wanted to charge forward and swing at him with all her might. That changed to marching up and slapping him. Finally, she decided to simply just ignore him. If he tried to talk to her then she'd just pretend he wasn't there. If he kept pressing on…no he wouldn't do that. He's too much of a wimp to do that. If he didn't have the courage to tell her why he was turning her down, then he defiantly didn't have the courage to fight for her.

"Our jobs from here on out are to find portals," Natalie began. The runners stood in a group, boys intermixed with girls facing Max and Natalie standing together in front of them.

"One portal can lead to a place where it's impossible to access through maze running. From what we know there are two mazes. Each runner will have a partner just in case you find a portal and get transported to another maze. One boy and one girl. We both know our respective mazes. It'll be safer this way, plus it'll be a great way to bring us all together. We're a team. Max will read off the names of the pairs. Once you find your partner get your gear and hit the maze. You're free to transport to the other maze through the portal we do know exists at any time."

Max held up a short piece of paper and started calling out the names.

"Julia you're paired with Gale."

Tim you're with Sydney."

Alex glanced over at Jeremy who was at the far end of the group. He had his arms crossed and a steely expression. She wondered if he was just as nervous about them partnering together as she was. He certainly didn't look it. He seemed cold. She'd been watching him out of the corner of her eye trying to catch him look at her. She hoped that he would've come up to talk and she'd get her revenge by shutting him down. But it was like she didn't exist.

"Jeremy, you're partnered with…" Max stopped. He leaned over and whispered a few words to Natalie covering his mouth with his hand. Alex leaned forward as if it would help her hear what he was saying. Why'd he stop? What was he telling her? Natalie frowned and her eyes shifted to Alex for a moment. Alex's heart raced in her chest. They had to be talking about her and Jeremy.

"Jeremy, you're with Pam," Max finished.

Alex turned to Jeremy who still had a cold expression on his face. But something changed this time. His jaw was clenched. Was it because he was in pain? He couldn't just stop caring for her after one night. He had to feel something for her.

"Alex you're with Duke. Find your partners and hit the maze."

The runners convened searching for their new partners. Alex stared at Jeremy as different faces passed by in her vision. She knew who Pam was. A blonde haired girl with green eyes and rosy red cheeks. She was one of the smartest runners, had photographic memory, and a very warm smile. Alex was sure she was going to use it on the cutest boy runner as soon as the two of them meet.

"Alex."

She turned to her Overseer. Natalie glanced at Jeremy who was just now shaking hands with Pam and they both were making their way out of the map room.

"What happened with you two?"

Alex pressed her lips together. The heat swelled behind her eyes again.

"You were supposed to be partners. But Jeremy met with Max earlier and requested that you two separate."

Alex's brow lowered. She was straining not to cry. At the very least not to look like a complete disaster when her new partner found her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Alex shook her head quickly. If she did talk the tears would start flying.

"Let me know if you need to talk," Natalie said placing a hand on her shoulder.

Alex nodded as her Overseer went to rejoin Max to prepare for their maze run. Alex looked to the door, catching Jeremy and Pam passing through it together. That had always been her fear. Watching him walk away with another girl. That was it. He was serious about avoiding her. They weren't going to ever get back together. Once that thought settled in she didn't want to go in the maze anymore. She didn't want to do anything except crawl into bed and bury her face in her pillow.

Brenda sat in the Overseers hut tapping her foot on the wooden boards. He was late, but she expected that since he still must be getting used to this place. She never recalled being so anxious to meet someone even though her memory went back only four years. The only time that might come close was when the ground shook and a siren went off alerting her that another girl was coming up through the elevator. She was the first girl in the glade so she didn't know what any of it meant. When the alarms and shaking stopped she stood still holding her breath, half expecting those things she saw through the small view ports in the maze walls to rush at her. Instead she heard a voice. A cry for help. She followed its source until she was standing over a young girl no older than her, which was around 14 or 15 at the time. Freckles dotted her face and her red hair glowed like fire. She was hunched in the corner, her face buried in her hands. She whimpered for help in between her sobs. Brenda felt tremendous pity for her. She reminded her of when she first arrived. How scared she was. Alone. As much as she hated to admit it she was glad to see another face after so many sleepless nights.

"Hello?" Brenda said.

The girl jumped in surprise and her head snapped up.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Brenda," she replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm…Wendy–." She stopped her eyes growing wide.

"I can't remember my last name."

"I can't either," Brenda said. "I couldn't remember anything when I first got here. Can you?"

Wendy shook her head and several tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I want my parents, oh god I can't even remember them! What's going on?!"

"Here, take my hand," Brenda said holding it out. "You need to get out of the elevator."

"Why? What if it takes me back?"

"It won't," Brenda responded. "I've tried it. I sat exactly where you did for three days. We're stuck here."

Wendy shook her head and dipped her face in between her knees. Brenda pleaded with her but it was no use. Finally Brenda resolved that if she was going to sit in the elevator then Brenda was going to join her. She hopped down to the metal floor and laid on her side to try and catch some much needed sleep that came a lot easier now that she was with someone else.

She woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder. Nighttime had fallen and the Grievers were howling their terrible sounds. Wendy looked terrified and she was trembling so much that she could barley speak.

"What's that sound?" she asked.

"Grievers," Brenda answered.

"Why do you call them that?" the girl murmured.

"Because they're big and they're ugly, and it's the first name that popped in my head when I saw one."

Wendy stared at her in silence and flinched when another Griever screeched.

"I'm not going home am I?"

Brenda shook her head.

"Then take me somewhere far away from the walls. I can't take these Griever things howling for one more second."

Brenda smiled and they both pulled themselves up from the elevator. As soon as they got on land the elevator dropped into oblivion. The two girls turned back to the glade, the skeleton of the now Overseers hut standing in the moonlight. Together they'd be the first faces to countless girls. They'd explain as best they could what they would do here and how they could be of use. Mostly importantly they'd tell them they weren't going home, at least not yet.

The door opened and Brenda stood up, but sat down when she saw that it was Wendy. She'd grown a lot since she first met her in the elevator. She was taller, braver, decisive. A woman. Brenda guessed that maybe she herself had grown up the same way.

"Did I miss him?" she asked.

"No," she answered.

Wendy grabbed a chair and dragged it next to her.

"Have you heard about this guy?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah," Brenda replied.

"Heard about his second?"

Brenda shook her head.

"Apparently he's no different. Gees, I'd hate to have him be the first person I meet in the glade."

"We're going to make our own impressions," Brenda affirmed. "Not base them on others. It's important that we work together."

"I know," Wendy said and grinned. "But if he says something stupid Imma' have to sock him."

Brenda smiled and was about to say something when the door opened and Andy and Jaden entered the room. The two girls stood up to welcome them. The first thing Andy noticed was Brenda's beauty. The rumors were true but he had to see for himself. He didn't view that as a positive. Her beauty was a threat. Words from a beautiful girl always weigh more. Wendy wasn't too bad looking either. There was a fierce look to her, almost like she was angry, which left him wondering about the kinds of things she might be into in bed.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Brenda said as the four of them shook hands.

"Yeah," Andy replied. "I've been looking forward to this."

"I want to let you know that I plan on working with you to bring our two people together," Brenda began. "Everyone seems to be getting together nicely. I've heard the party was good until the creators threw a hitch. Did you go?"

"That's good to hear," Andy returned. "And no I didn't. But I have a question for you now that we're friends and all. Are we both going to be co-leaders?"

"Yes," she answered. No matter how hard she tried to bury her assumptions before, she had a feeling that this was going to be a problem.

"So then do we make our decisions together? What if we disagree?"

"Well, if we can't reach an agreement then we'll put it to a vote," she answered.

"We gonna do that every time we can't figure something out?"

"That's up to you," Brenda replied.

"Well what about my second then? Where does he fit into the picture?"

"We'll keep _our_ seconds. Nothing will change except for the fact that you and I will lead together."

I think that we should look at the time spent in the glade to decide for one second."

"I've been here for 4 years. I only have a month on Wendy. If we're gonna look at it your way then I should be leader and Wendy should be second. But I'm not going to do that. I want you to keep your status."

"Glad you're allowing me to keep my spot."

His tone was laced with hostility. So far the rumors were true. He was proving to be a difficult guy to work with.

"It's my pleasure," she affirmed. "Maybe we should meet at a later time. Give ourselves some time to think about this new arrangement."

"Swell."

With that Andy spun around and headed out the door. Brenda's eyes turned to Jaden. The boy's eyes quickly turned away and he followed Andy out of the building. She wished she would've gotten a better look. He turned away too fast for her to see his face.

"That went well," Wendy remarked. "Think he'll come around?"

"He has too," Brenda. "If not then…"

The two girls knew what she was getting at without her having to say anything else.

"Who the hell does that chick think she is?" Andy fumed. He was trotting at a rapid pace across the meadow that was overshadowed by the maze walls. Jaden was almost jogging to keep up with him.

"Trying to tell me that she's letting me keep my position. I've been leading all you shanks for 3 and a half years. I've earned my spot."

"I know this sucks," Jaden mentioned. "But we have to be careful. The girls love Brenda. If we insult her then they'll hate us."

"So you're defending her now?" Andy hissed. "Because she's hot right?"

"That has nothing to do with anything."

"I think it does," Andy asserted. "I saw the way you were drooling all over her. Once all the guys see her they'll be drooling all over her too and we'll be toast."

"Our support's been dropping long before Alex came into our glade," Jaden explained. "Morale's been low. Shanks don't have to see Brenda. They'll hear about how great she is from the girls, while guys like Jeremy and Max will tell the girls that we suck."

"Max?"

"I've been hearing stuff," Jaden said. "Max has badmouthed you a couple times."

"I'd expect that from Jeremy," Andy started. "But Max…who else has been talking behind my back?"

"Quite a few," Jaden answered. "A couple of managers too."

"I guess we'll have to take care of that," Andy muttered.

"What are you going to do?" Jaden asked.

"I don't know yet," Andy returned. "Tell you what though, once Max gets back from the maze bring him to me. We're going to have a conversation."


	9. Chapter 9: The family song

Duke slowed to a stop when they reached a clearing. Giant metal sheets stuck in the dirt towered above the two runners. They were in rows standing at about ten feet apart stretching across the dusty ground while the maze walls surrounding them. The sheets were burnt orange with rust indicating that they must have been standing in the sun for a very long time. Alex had never seen anything like this. Duke reached out and pushed one closest to them and whined as it turned.

"What is this place?" she asked.

Duke's short cut black hair bent from a light breeze. He was wiry and slightly slower than her, but he could run for a long time., much longer than her. He was a pretty cool guy. Ask her a lot of questions on what it was like living with girls and how their voting system worked. It was a little platonic, like when there was a chance for him to deep dive he kept it cordial. She had a feeling it might be because of Jeremy. Guys talk too apparently. She wondered what was happening between him and Pam. She couldn't bring herself to have hard feelings for her. Pam was such a sweet girl. Alex never saw her not smiling. She actually gave her a few tips when she was first starting out in the maze. No, none of this was her fault. This was on Jeremy. She was becoming progressively angrier every time she thought about him. The worst part was he pretended she didn't even exist anymore. There wasn't any closure. She was just severed.

"We call it the song tunnel," Duke answered. "At noon a wind comes through and spins all of these fans and it plays a song."

Sure enough a strong gust of wind tore through the metal fans. Alex had no idea where it came from seeing that they were surrounded by giant walls. The fans slowly turned creaking at first. They spun faster and the creaking changed to a low moan mixed with the rushing air. If Alex wouldn't have known better she'd say that it sounded like a choir. The fans serving as the bass, the wind hitting the high notes. It was a little depressing. Summed up the maze pretty much.

Chancellor Paige watched the two maze runners from her computer monitor. Adding the music tunnel in the maze was her idea. It provided a bit of a human touch. The boy seemed to enjoy it. He always enjoyed it. The girl, Alex, looked slightly disturbed by it. Paige had been watching her for a long time. The girl was restless, never satisfied with staying in one place. The maze was ultimate challenge for someone like her. A never ending puzzle. But she lacked confidence during her first two months. Her restlessness was a weakness in that without any major accomplishments her interest waned. She didn't believe that she could make a difference. That's why she activated the portal. There was a 75 percent chance that she'd die in the boys' maze. After all the first girl who transported to the boys maze was killed. But if she were to live she'd get the confidence boost she needed by making a discovery that'd affect both the male and female Gladers. Now Alex was reenergized, and Paige was eager to observe her progress. Her gamble had paid off; even though her colleagues still believe her idea was too harsh. She had to do something to prove she wasn't playing favorites. Even still when she couldn't watch Alex lost in the boys' maze, scrambling through the corridors in panic. If Jeremy wouldn't of found her Paige would've ordered every monitor in the room to be shut off.

There was a knock on her glass door. Her assistant was on the other side with a glowing pad under his arm. She nodded for him to come in.

"What do you have for me, Thomas?"

"Ma'am," he began flipping the pad over his hand. "The self destruction program has been uploaded. We're awaiting your command for its initiation."

"Thank you, Thomas."

He nodded curtly and turned for the door.

"Do you ever feel guilty about this?" Ms. Paige asked.

The boy stopped still facing the glass door.

"If you mind me asking?"

He turned back to face her. The usual plastic expression on his face had melted a little. He looked younger this time, different from the other older workers.

"I believe we're doing the right thing."

"You can speak freely, Thomas," she chuckled. "I've heard that you're an open thinker."

"Heard?"

"You oppose what we're doing here," she returned. "It isn't hard to tell."

"I don't exactly oppose _this,"_ he said. "I oppose that we haven't looked for another way to cure the Flare."

"What would you suggest then?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "But tearing kids away from their homes and leaving them at the hands of the maze machines if they don't get out in time seems unnecessary. Especially sending your own daughter."

The room was silent. Thomas's eyes widened realizing that he'd crossed the line. Paige's brow lowered and she folded her hands over her desk.

"I–I'm so sorry I didn't…"

"It's ok, Thomas," Paige said. "Speaking your mind requires the greatest courage. With that being said, if I were to keep Alex from the maze even after she had the qualifications to go, how would that look?"

"You couldn't let her stay here like you did with me and Teresa?"

"You and Teresa are better served here," she answered. "Alex could never work in a place like this. She hates being cooped up in one spot. She's been that way ever since she was a toddler, why sometimes she'd…"

The chancellor stopped. She cleared her throat and opened a hologram on her desk.

"Initiate the program. That'll be all, Thomas."

Thomas stared at her for a few moments before opening his mouth daring to ask a risky question.

"What's the real reason why you sent her?"

"I said that'll be all," the chancellor affirmed this time her crystal eyes meeting his. Thomas dipped his head in acknowledgement before exiting. Paige waited for him to return to his station. Once he sat down far away from her office she opened a drawer on the bottom left of her desk. A crumbled dirty photograph sat atop the stainless metal. It was herself, Alex, and a man. It was taken many years ago, before the flare took him away from the both of them. Funny thing was that Paige wished her memory were wiped like Alex's. Even then the flare was starting to take hold on the world and you couldn't even go outside without getting a whiff of rotting flesh. But at least they had each other. After Alex's father's death things fell apart.

Alex and her partner were on the run again. They'd soon be in section three. She liked this new boy, a lot nicer than the often solemn Jeremy, though she saw on this very monitor what made him become the boy he is today. Still Ava Paige preferred a good friend for her daughter, not someone who'd make her cry.

What was she thinking?

She couldn't interfere with her daughter's life even if she wanted to. The self-destruction was about to begin and this game was about to take a major twist.

 _Sup y'all! Sorry about the late update. Life's been busy. My fraternity's been holding a lot of events plus formal happened lol. (I had fun:)) But anyways working on the next chapter. Hopefully it'll be up this weekend. Planning on it to be a long one. Peace!_


	10. Chapter 10: Fear's grip

Max pulled away the flap to the tent. Andy was standing with his arms crossed staring at a drawing that was roughly a foot long and a foot wide propped up by a wooden leg. He was infatuated with it and didn't notice Max enter even though he made a bit of noise coming in.

"Yo, Andy," he said.

Andy winced from surprise and faced him.

"Yo, Max," he said. "Just the guy I wanted to see. You're early."

"Yeah Natalie and I wanted all the runners to come back early since this is the first day everyone's partnered up."

"Well, come look at this."

Max gave him a weird look but stepped beside him looking at the drawing. It was the Glade shaded in gray, black, and white. He recognized the Overseer's building standing under the shadow of the Maze walls with a flock of bird soaring above it. The grass had such a sharp texture that he felt like he could reach in the drawing and grab a handful of it.

"That's a cool painting, bro," Max said. "Who drew it?"

"Wendy, actually," he answered. "She draws a lot. She showed me when I was in her tent."

"What were you doing in her tent?"

"Talking," Andy returned facing him again. "Which is something we need to do."

"Alright," Max replied. "What's up?"

"I've heard some things," Andy began. "You know how important it is that all of the managers stick together. You know, look out for each other."

"Does that include the girl managers too?"

"Yeah in a way," he said back. "But you know how long all of us have known each other. I'm sure the girls are looking out for each other too."

"They've reached out to us pretty hard," Max replied. "It seems like they want to include us."

"Why do I get the feeling you're sticking up for them?"

"I'm not," Max answered puzzled. "I'm just saying that they've done a lot to make us feel welcome. I don't think we should try to separate from them."

"So you're cool with sharing your authority with Natalie?"

"Natalie's great," Max said. "She makes my job a lot easier now. Plus we cover more ground with double the runners."

"You do know that girls are slower and weaker than us right?"

"Yeah, so?" Max shrugged. "It's not by much. These girls work just as hard to find the exit as we do. What's your problem with them? Do you not like Brenda?"

"Brenda's full of herself," Andy scoffed. "She thinks she has all the power."

"So she's not working with you?" Max asked.

"On her terms," Andy determined.

Max lowered his brow. He had to carefully pick the right words he was going to say.

"Andy," he said. "Do you want me to be honest?"

"Spit it out."

"Alright, well I've met Brenda. She's a good girl. She listens and she is pretty open-minded. She was excited to meet you. She went on and on about working with you to bring the two glades together. If I didn't know better I'd say that you were the problem not her."

"Is that why you've been talking behind my back?"

"The only thing I've said is that you're difficult sometimes," Max answered. "And it's true, Andy. You're difficult. You were difficult when we tried to find the girl's maze and now you're being difficult with Brenda."

"So then you don't support me?"

"Support you?" Max repeated frowning. "Support for what? You and Brenda are the leaders. What do you need my support for?"

"You know that we can't have two leaders," Andy asserted. "We'll have to vote eventually."

"You haven't even given it a chance," Max replied.

Andy didn't say anything back. He turned back to the drawing. Max prayed that his words sunk through his thick skull. They had a good thing going here. Production of food tripled, buildings were improving and new ones were being built. The last thing the Glade needed was Andy seeking more power. He didn't get why the guy couldn't just be happy with where he was. Why'd he'd have to cause friction all the time? The guy never trusted anyone.

"You're probably right," Andy sighed. "I do need to give this a chance. But if it doesn't work out and it comes down to a vote, can I count on your support?"

Max winced. He didn't want to hurt him. Despite their differences they had known each other for years. You form a brotherhood after struggling to survive for all that time. Yet, if he answered immediately he would've said Brenda. She was everything Andy wasn't, and that's why the support for her among the boys was growing. Andy's brown lowered. He knew the answer was no.

The ground shook violently knocking the drawing over. Max grabbed onto the pole standing in the middle of the tent. Thousands of tons of stone screeched. Cries rang from outside. The two boys stared at each other in disbelief. It couldn't be.

Natalie was standing outside of their tent along with other Gladers. Every eye was glued to the maze doors that were slowly closing.

"Natalie," Max called and he and Andy ran up to her.

The girl turned, horror etched across her face. It scared the hell out of him and he was afraid to ask his question.

"Who's still out there?"

"Jeremy, Pam, Alex, and Duke haven't checked in," she answered.

"Why the hell are the walls closing so early? Andy asked. "They should be open for another two hours."

"They might've found something that got the creators attention," Max said. "That's the only way to explain this."

"What will they do?" Andy asked.

"Hopefully the boys side is still open," Natalie said. "They know to come back early so they'll have time to get there once they see they can't come back to our Glade."

"And if the boys side is closed too?" Andy asked.

"Then they're dead," Max answered.

When Alex and Duke rounded the last corner to the maze exit, two things were amiss, neither were good. Jeremy and Pam were standing in front of another wall. Alex and Duke turned to each other with confused looks. It wasn't until they got closer that they saw the split in between the doors. The walls closed early. They must've closed while they were in the other maze or else they would've heard it.

"The creators really like to screw with us," Pam remarked. "First the stingers, now this?"

"Did you just get here?" Duke asked. Jeremy and Pam nodded their heads.

"We should try the other maze," Alex said. "If other runners are still here then we'll write a note by the portal."

The four runners transported to the other maze. Alex wrote a warning message in the dirt informing all remaining runners to find the exit in the boy's maze. They could only hope that the exit was still open.

They reached the doors, which were still open. Alex almost collapsed from relief. The runners had been on edge the entire trip to the exit. They slowed to a walk once they cleared the exit. There wasn't much left of the glade. A lot of the buildings were torn down to be used to reinforce the girls' buildings. A few sprouts of cabbages and strawberries grew through the weeds that already infected the gardens. The only thing still standing was the skeleton of the manager's buildings. Many of its wooden planks stripped weeks ago. It was a little eerie seeing an entire glade without people in it. Alex could only imagine how scary it was for Brenda when she came here alone.

"Guess we stay in Andy's place for the night," Jeremy muttered. "It'll get a little cold soon, I guess I'll go in the woods to start a fire."

"You shouldn't go alone," Pam said.

"I know the woods," Jeremy replied.

"So do I," Duke remarked. "I'll go with you. Alex, Pam you two should stay in the manager's hut until we get back."

"Are there any rabbits?" Alex asked. "I could try to set a snare or something. We're probably all a little hungry."

Duke opened his mouth to speak, most likely agreeing for her to come along but Jeremy cut him off.

"We can go a night without eating," he asserted.

Alex glared at him. So now he decided to speak to her. Pam and Duke glanced at each other sensing the tension between the two.

"Look, I don't want to be around you any more than you do but we should eat," Alex argued. "If something happens in the maze tomorrow we'll need our strength."

"If we see a rabbit we'll hunt it down," Jeremy replied.

"What are you gonna do? Run after it?"

"Guys," Duke said stepping between them. "We'll go with Jeremy's idea. We'll get the wood and start a fire first. We'll worry about eating later. Alright?"

Alex looked away scowling. She really wanted to rip Jeremy's face off.

"Let's go then," Jeremy said turning to the trees.

The boys took off leaving the two girls alone. Pam gave a meek smile and Alex did the same. Funny, even though she'd been running for two months she'd never talked to Pam. They always said hi whenever they ran into each other in the glade but never more than that. The girls walked inside the hut and made conversation, starting with how much they liked their partners. Alex was hoping against all hope that she wouldn't ask about Jeremy. She'd just get mad again. Though then again she wanted to let Pam know how much of a terrible guy he is.

"I have to ask, and you don't have to answer, but what's going on between you and Jeremy?"

Alex gave a look of disgust folding up another straw of hay and tossing it against the wall. Of course Pam asked, but a part of her was kind of glad she did.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, cause you two were kinda the first unofficial boy-girl partnership. I thought for sure you guys would be partners, and I heard you two had a thing."

"Emphasize the _had_ ," Alex said back. She dove into the whole story of what happened between the two of them at the party, and their little break up. Pam's eyes grew bigger and bigger as she went on.

"So now he's treating you like clunk?" she asked after Alex had finished her story.

"Yeah," Alex answered.

"Wow," Pam murmured. "He's so nice to me. A little distant, but still nice."

"I don't want your partnership with him to be screwed up," Alex replied. "Just you know, it is what it is."

"Do you think he's afraid?" Pam asked.

"Afraid?"

"Afraid of caring for someone," Pam explained. "I don't know he just seems like the type of guy who doesn't like to get too close with people. Maybe he lost a friend."

Alex never thought about that. That could explain it. The sudden passion only to be quenched after the note from the creators. Being ignored, switching partners, and now him being so rude. Now she wanted to talk to him. They had to clear this up. Set things right. She wouldn't stop thinking about him if they kept up this charade.

The ground trembled. The walls were closing again. Alex wrapped her arms closer to her body. Night was falling over the glade and the temperature was falling suit. She guessed maybe the boys had been out for twenty minutes. They should be getting back any minute. The thought of seeing Jeremy entering the building made her heart skip a beat. She wasn't sure if she could muster the courage to speak to him again without her anger. She defiantly wasn't going to break down in front of him. She was done crying.

"What's with you and Alex, man?" Duke asked as they both trekked through the woods with planks of dry wood under their arms.

"I really don't wanna talk about it, bro," Jeremy answered.

He was tired and these planks were getting heavy. This day sucked enough, talking about Alex would just make it worse.

"You guys really have some bad blood," Duke continued on. "I thought you were cool."

"Duke, what did I just say?"

"Dude, come on what happened?" Duke pressed on. "Everybody saw you two leaving the party together, and then all of a sudden the next day you guys hate each other or something."

Jeremy stopped and looked Duke square in the eye.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jeremy growled. "I'm sick of carrying this and I'm sick of that girl."

"Fine, you can say whatever you want but you're not fooling anybody with this whole tough guy act," Duke asserted. "You need this, man. You need to let someone in after Philip."

Jeremy turned around without saying anything continuing on through the woods.

Once the two boys returned they dumped the wood in a pill a couple yards away from the manager's hut. Pam jumped next to the wood as Duke began rubbing two sticks together. Jeremy stood next to him rubbing his hands together and blowing in them. Alex stared at him for what felt like five minutes, before finally willing herself to speak.

"Jeremy?"

Even though she only called his name all three heads faced her.

"Can we talk?"

Pam and Duke looked at Jeremy. Jeremy's eyes dropped to the ground and he waited for a couple seconds. Alex half expected him to say no.

"Ok," he said much to her surprise.

He joined her inside the manager's hut away from the prying ears of Pam and Duke. She could barely see him in the dark. The only disguisable feature was his shaggy hair and the whites of his eyes. If they weren't at each other's throats she could only imagine the things that they could do in this obscure secluded place.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I think you know," Alex returned. "Are we gonna keep treating each other like this?"

"Like what?"

"You know what!" she exclaimed but immediately hushed her voice minding the two outside.

"You did a complete 180 on me and I want to know why."

His brow lowered and he glanced to the side.

"Look at me."

He froze for a couple seconds before his eyes slowly met hers.

"When Brenda read that note," he began. "All I could think about was this person who died. We were brothers in a sense. He got lost in the maze and didn't make it over the night. He was the first face I saw when the elevator opened."

He drew a deep breath before speaking again. He voice was softer, the same voice he used on her when they were together.

"I never told you this but I was the runner's manager two years ago. Philip was my friend's name. He sort of gave me the title because he didn't want to do it. He said I was more of a people person. He just liked being alone in the maze. He taught me everything about the maze and the politics of the glade. Then one evening he didn't come back. We never found his body, not that it matters anyway. I thought out of all the runners that'd get lost, I'd never pick him. So I guess I figured if he could die then anyone could. It screwed up the relationships with my runners and Andy was on my ass all the time, so I just gave up. Handed the title to Max and ran alone."

He pressed his lips together and looked away again. Alex brought her hands on both sides of his cheeks and turned his head toward her. It was a bold move and it surprised him, but he didn't pull away.

"Every runner risks not coming back," she said. "But it's a risk worth taking. Natalie lost her best friend but she can still feel for other people. If you just push people away then that will make you more miserable."

"I care about you too much," he said. "If you something happened to you…"

"Then what?" she asked. "Would you rather we spend our last day together or fighting?"

He didn't reply. His face twisted from his inner conflict.

"I'd want to spent my last day with you," she determined.

He tore himself out of her hands gazing out the between the wooden support beams. His face glowed from the growing fire that Duke and Pam were rushing to kindle.

"I'll have to think," he finally replied.

She was disappointed with his answer, but at least it wasn't a no. She nodded and gave a slight smile.

"Can we talk to each other at least?"

His lips curled into a smile and he nodded.

"Yeah," he answered. "Come on, let's join them by the fire."

Natalie saw the light beaming between the planks in the walls on her walk to the map room. She pushed open the door. Max was there. He was leaning over the model of the girl's maze. The boy model was sitting on the table beside it. She knew every turn, every wall, and every nook in the girl's maze and was beginning to get a feel for the second one. The little space for the metal sheets where the wind blew, the round about where it lead to four different sections. Strange how years of running and death came down to building an arts and craft project.

"Hey," she said.

He glanced at her and smiled.

"What's up?" he returned. "What're you doing up so late?"

"Was gonna ask you the same question," she replied.

He sighed and stared at the two mazes again.

"Just thought I could do some late night studying," he said. "Couldn't sleep."

"Yeah me neither," she said. "How many times have you done this?"

"What waited and hoped that a runner would come back?"

She nodded.

"Four times. You?"

"Two…well three I forgot about Alex," she answered.

"Alex has been getting the short end of the stick recently," he remarked. "First accidentally going through a portal into our maze, then the whole thing with Jeremy, now this."

"She's a strong girl," Natalie said. "She can handle it."

"I don't doubt it," he affirmed.

The two turned back to the models again. He was actually glad she came. Truth of the matter was he came here to think about Andy not to study. If he there was anyone to talk about what was on his mind it was her. Though he didn't know how she felt about Andy yet so he had to frame his words carefully.

"Have you met Andy yet?" he asked.

"Yes, I have," she answered.

"What do you think about him?"

"What do _you_ think about him?" she returned.

He laughed and shook his head.

"I promise I won't say anything," he assured.

"Well," she said shrugging. "I don't know. Alex complained about him quite a bit when she got back. I'll admit something's a little off about the guy."

"Yeah."

"What made you ask about him?"

"He called me into his tent when I got back from the maze basically talking about how Brenda is trying to control him."

"That doesn't sound like her at all," she refuted.

"That's what I thought too and I tried to tell him to be reasonable," he explained. "But in the end he asked if it came to a vote would I go for him."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything," he answered. "And that's the problem. He expected undying loyalty and I didn't give it to him."

"You think he's gonna try to force a vote?"

"I know he will," he answered. "And he'll lose, that's what I'm afraid of. I don't know what he'll do."

"When the times comes you, I, and all the others will stand against him. He's just one person."

"How do you know I'll vote against him?"

"No one votes for a person they're afraid of," she responded.

He nodded. He didn't realize that Andy had such an affect on him until Natalie said that. Andy ruled through fear and intimidation, the best way to keep a bunch of scared boys in line, but not enough to preside over what was now becoming a society. He didn't have to be afraid of him anymore. The power he wielded was vanishing. Opposition wasn't punished anymore like in the old days when an a boy who asked too many questions was put in the cage for three days next to the maze walls to get an earful of griever shrills during those nights.

"Come on," she said patting his back. "We can't do anything about our runners until the morning. Let's catch some sleep."

Max nodded again and followed her out the door. He took one last look at the maze before switching off the light. He just hoped that they didn't have to bury four more people the next morning.

 _Thanks for being patient y'all. Finals ended and your boy didn't do so great this semester. It's all good though I'll be back on that 3.0 GPA in no time. Now that school's out I'll be writing a lot more. I won't give any dates because I always seem to blow through them lol. But I'm gonna keep truckin through this and the query letter I'm working on for my book. Query letters are hard:( But I got this. Stay tuned. Peace!_


	11. Glade High

_Hey y'all. Thought I'd kinda sauce up this story with a little fun. Don't worry I'm still working on the next chapter. It'll be up soon. Until then enjoy! Peace!_

Alex glanced up from her stretch to catch a peak of Jeremy. Of course he was touching toes while laughing with his friend Philip beside him. Was there anything he couldn't do?

"Quad stretch," coach Williams said and continued talking to one of the assistant coaches.

The track team stood in a circle on the football field near the end zone. Besides an occasional bite of cold air it was another beautiful Texas afternoon in March. Alex winced at a slight pull in her hamstring. It's been bothering her for about a week now. There wasn't much use in going to the trainers. All they'd do was say put some ice on it.

She felt a nudge on her ribs. She immediately turned to Sonja who discreetly shook her head.

"Stop staring, you're being obvious," she whispered harshly.

If Sonja wasn't there to keep her in check then the whole school would know that Alex Paige had a crush on Jeremy Martinez, the hottest guy at Glade High school, thus joining the rest of the female student population. She tried not to, she really did. Maybe if he wasn't on the track team then maybe she'd think about him once a week instead of a billion times a day. Maybe if he wasn't so talented she wouldn't see him when coach brought him in front of the team to give him his endless gold metals. Maybe if he wasn't so smart she wouldn't see him in all of her advanced placement classes everyday. Maybe if he wasn't so popular the hallway wouldn't part like the red sea when he walked. Maybe if he was single then she'd have some hope. But he wasn't. He was dating Brenda the cheerleader.

"Alex, Jeremy, stay here," coach said after they finished warm ups. "The rest of you go with coach Johnson. She'll be conducting your workout."

Sonja grinned at Alex before jogging away to join the rest of the team crowded around coach Johnson. Alex knew what was up. She was the fastest girl and Jeremy was the fastest guy. The Texas Relay's was coming up, one of the biggest track meets in the country. Runners from all around the world come to Austin to run at the University of Texas hosted event. The two teenagers were the only ones on their teams to qualify to run. Alex went last year as a spectator. Her dad's big on track. The girls there were fast, scary fast. She was sure that if she ever ran that she'd get smoked, now she had a chance to get smoked.

"You two just take 7 laps around the track," coach began. "The Relays are in two days so I want y'all to take it easy."

She sucked in air. She was going to run with Jeremy?

"Got it, coach," Jeremy affirmed and looked at Alex.

"You wanna run this together?"

She nodded quickly, too quickly. God, why was she being such a fan girl? He was just a guy not some hot singer, he was just hot…and perfect.

They started their jog in the outside lanes. The first group was just passing by heaving as they went. Sonja was in the very back of the pack, barley swinging her arms and looking like a lost puppy. She gave Alex an exhausted look as coach Johnson shouted for her to pick up the pace. Sonja was a girl who loved the outdoors and gardening, but she was the most unathletic person Alex had ever met. It didn't make sense. Sonja had the body for it. Her legs were fairly toned and she had a flat stomach. But she just sucked at running. She wouldn't even be out if it weren't for her dad forcing to do a sport.

"How long do you think it'll take to get out of your Maze?"

Alex turned to Jeremy puzzled.

"What did you say?"

"You know," Jeremy replied. "The Maze project in biology class."

Alex didn't know why but she sighed with relief. There was something about that word that made her anxious. It was weird. She noticed it when the teacher announced that they'd watch rats travel through a mazes that each group built. Whichever maze took the longest then that group's maze would win. When the teacher kept using that word her palms would get sweaty, and her heart would race in her chest. It got once when she showed a video of a rat exploring a maze through its perspective. The different walls, corners, and dead ends, all in its quest to find the cheese.

"Oh that," she answered. "I don't know. Hopefully long enough to get an A."

"Yeah tell me about it," he said back smiling. "What did you think I meant?"

"Oh," she shrugged. "I don't know I just thought you said something else?"

"What did you think I said?"

Alex scavenged her brain to try to find a normal answer. She couldn't screw this up. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was weird because then everyone will think she's weird.

"I don't know I guess when I was little I got lost in a maze at some playground and the project just makes me think about it. It's stupid I know."

"Damn that must've sucked," he returned. "I don't like that word."

"What word? Maze?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know it just kinda gives me the creeps."

"Really?" she replied. "Me too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said. "I don't know it started when our teacher said it a bunch of times. I felt odd for some reason."

"Same here," he said and smiled. "Guess we got something in common."

The girls ranked his smile number three behind his hazel golden eyes and smooth dark hair. He was shy about using it either. She wished she could do that. Just smile and get whatever she wanted.

Practice ended when the school day was over. The track team returned to the lockerooms to grab their bags and schoolwork before heading home. Alex headed for the cafeteria. Her mother was the principal so she always had to wait an extra hour afterschool before her mom could take her home. Alex had her permit; her driving test was next week so she still had to have her mom in the car. It wasn't too bad staying late. She got ahead on her homework and hardly had anything to do when she finally got home besides studying. It was Wednesday so that meant the Wednesday night school kids occupied all the tables. Wednesday night school was for the kids that got in trouble during the week. Detention would be too light and in school suspension would be too harsh. Wednesday night school was the crosswords to either being a troublemaker or a kid that swore never to associate themselves with the punished. There were quite a few regulars. She actually knew of their names. That's what going to every Wednesday night school for the past two years would do to you. She herself has never served the night school sentence. The worse she's done was get a tardy slip.

She nodded to the Vice Principal over watching the kids and looked for a seat. The place was more crowded than usual. She spotted a seat near the back corner of the room. The cheerleaders' and football players' table. Sure enough, Andy sat next to the one empty spot. He was crudest boy she'd ever met. A cocky prick. No doubt his brains had turn to mush after playing running back for so long. If he weren't such a douche bag she'd actually hold a conversation with him. He wasn't bad looking. He defiantly had a nice body after she watched him walk by during a pool party last Saturday. Disgusting she knew, but she was a hormone fueled high school chick. She could only control herself to a degree.

As soon as she sat down next to him he turned to her and grinned.

"Alex Paige," he whispered. "What an honor."

She ignored him as she reached into her bag to pull her history folder and pen.

"Let me help," he murmured reached into her bag.

She slapped his hand away.

"I got it," she mumbled.

A couple of his football buddies chuckled. Andy's grinned grew wider as he watched her pull out her worksheets.

"Watcha working on?" he asked.

"You know you're not supposed to talk during Wednesday night school," she answered not bothering to look at him as she spoke.

"Bitch."

Her eyes flew up. She knew that voice all too well. Maggie. The spoiled little rich brat had her elbows plopped over her fancy Gucci bag not even trying to hide the fact that she was using her golden iPhone.

"Some of us don't have daddies that'll pay for everything, Maggie," Alex hissed. "I have to work to make something of myself."

"Cause your poor," Maggie shrugged.

"I'm not poor," Alex growled. "That's a horrible thing to say."

"Your mom's a principal and your dad's a security guard," Maggie replied. "I'm just stating fact, and honestly I don't even need to know what your parents do. One look at your clothes is all the proof you need."

"Maggie, chill," Andy muttered. Normally, Alex would be surprised that Andy came to her defense. But right now she was imagining her fist connecting to Maggie's nose.

"Don't talk about my parents, you fake bitch," Alex snarled.

"Ohh," Maggie's eyes sparkled. "Looks like I hit a nerve. What's the matter? Are you embarrassed by your parents?"

"Alright, Maggie we got it," Andy intervened.

Alex glared at her mortal enemy. She just needed to say one more stupid thing…

"I would be too," Maggie smiled. "You want me to throw some money your way to help you out?"

Alex slammed her hands on the table before circling around and grabbing her by the shirt. She felt a sharp sting across cheek and under her eye. Maggie slapped so hard that it echoed in the cafeteria. Alex yanked on a fistful of her hair and brought her to the ground and the football players rushed in to pull the girls apart. Alex winded up her hand and threw a punch. Maggie jerked her head to the side. Alex's fist hit the floor and a surge of pain ignited from her knuckles.

"Alex, stop!" Andy yelled. He wrapped his arms around her waist an picked her up in the air legs kicking and all. Another football player helped Maggie to her feet and pulled her back. The two girls screamed horrible things at each other as the Vice Principal came running at full speed, which wasn't fast due to his weight.

"Stop, both of you!" he shouted. "Maggie, go sit at the opposite table. I'll be contacting your parents."

When he turned to Alex the look of shock mixed with disappointment made her forget about her anger entirely. She'd just gotten into a fight. A fight at school with other kids watching. Everyone at school will hear about this by tomorrow. But all she could think about was what her mom will say once she comes through the cafeteria doors in 30 minutes.

"You just wait till your mom comes, Alex," he said in a low voice.

The car ride home was quiet. Her mom didn't look at her once after the vice-principal explained what happened. When they got home Alex handed her mom the keys and her dad was sitting on the coach watching college basketball. He'd just got back from work and didn't bother changing out of his uniform yet. He heard the door close and he turned smiling.

"Hey you two, how was school?"

His smile dropped once he saw the cloud of gloom above their heads.

"What happened?"

"Sit down, Alex," her mom directed.

Alex grudgingly sat on the coach next to her father. No matter how rough of a day he had he always greeted them as if it was the first time he'd seen them in a month. His soft blue eyes displayed comparison during her weakest moments, and support during her strongest. There was a patch of scalp poking through his black hair on the top of his crown. She remembered rubbing it when she was a little girl, laugh at the shiny spot that was so smooth compared to the rest of his hair.

"Alex got in a fight at school today," her mom said sitting on the other side of her.

She hated it when her parents sandwiched her on the coach whenever she got in trouble.

"What?" her dad turned his body towards her.

"Tell him what happened, Alex," her mom said.

Alex mumbled under her breath and shrugged. She didn't feel like talking. The more she thought about the fight the more pissed off she got.

"Speak up, young lady," her mom ordered.

"I fought Maggie," Alex muttered.

Her dad looked to her mom to see whom she was talking about.

"She's another student," her mother filled in.

"She's a brat who called us poor," Alex spat. "I wasn't gonna let her disrespect our family."

"So you decided that hitting her would make her respect us?" her mom asked.

"I had to do something," Alex argued. "She said she was gonna throw money at us."

"You don't let words affect you, Alex," her mom asserted. "You are the principal's daughter. You're smart enough to know that you're held to a higher standard. Now you've put me in a tough spot. I'll have to suspend you."

The room fell silent. Even the T.V. sounded like it got turned down a few notches.

"What?" Alex gasped. "For how many days?"

"Five."

"But," she found it hard to breathe. "I'll miss all my schoolwork."

"You should've thought about that before you go in a fight."

"Can I still go to the Texas Relays?"

"No," her mom answered. "You can't."

"Now, honey hold on," her dad said. "They'll be a lot of college coaches at the meet. She could get noticed."

"Again, she should've thought about that," her mom replied. "She's a sophomore. She still has two more years."

"What if she gets hurt?" her dad pressed. "Nothing is guaranteed."

"I can't give her a pass just because she's my daughter."

"That's bullshit!" Alex shouted jumping to her feet.

"Alex!" her father exclaimed. "You do not speak that way to your mother!"

"I hope you're happy," Alex hissed. She spun around and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" her mom demanded.

Alex didn't respond throwing the door open and slamming it behind her. She began to run. She only ran faster when her parents called after her. Old Alex would've simply stormed up to her room. But her door didn't lock so her parents could easily come in and continue the argument. Honestly, this was the first time she'd ever done this. Burst out of her house wearing nothing but spandex and a tight fit under amour shirt. Her neighborhood wasn't the best to be going around alone late at night. When she was a good 200 meters away from her house she slowed to a walk. Where was she even going? There was a park by the elementary school that was half a mile away. She guessed that'd be a good a place as any.

She sat down on the swing set swaying her legs back and forth to gain a little momentum. She glanced up at the stars, the only company she had this night. Sirens wailed in the distance, piercing the crickets' choir. The chains groaned as she rocked back and forth. She wondered how long she was going to stay before she went home. She was going to be in so so much trouble. It felt like everything she'd built in her life had come crashing down in one day. She wasn't going to the Texas Relays, her grades were going to drop, and everybody at school will talk about her tomorrow. They'll fall silent when she passed and whisper about the fight when she was out of earshot. The perfect image she's struggled to maintain ever since she stepped on campus was gone. Gone was the girl who made straight As, was loved by her teachers, and finished first place in all her track events. The girl who could do no wrong. She wasn't supposed to have flaws, especially not have them exposed by a spoiled brat. Her mom was the principal. Perfection was expected. And she let her down getting into that stupid fight. She'd done so much to make her mother proud only to embarrass her. She was obligated to bolster her mother by her own success. She remembered struggling in her calculus class during her fall semester. Her mom asked her grade on ever quiz and test she took. She encouraged her to keep trying. If she didn't get a good grade then maybe math wasn't for her. Alex remembered being angry with her for saying that. Didn't her mother realize that Alex had a responsibly to her?

Small drops slipped out of the corners of her eyes.

"Alex?"

She almost fell off the swing set from surprise. She whirled around. It was Jeremy. She could hardly see him in the dark. But even still she saw that something wasn't right about him. He had long shaggy hair and scruffs of facial hair growing around his face. His shirt was torn and ragged, his pants scarred with grass and dirt.

She blinked her eyes. When she opened them again he was gone.


	12. Chapter 12: Green light

The four runners woke at first light and prepared for their return back to the girls' glade. A fresh bit of morning air dug through her clothes as Alex gathered her pack. Her stomach growled loudly after she took a swig of water. The run back to the girls' glade wouldn't be bad. Totally doable on an empty stomach. She just prayed that no more unexpected events transpired.

They waited at the doors at the usual expected time they opened. She couldn't wait to get back home. The moment she stepped in her glade she'll make a beeline for mom's kitchen. After eating and drinking till her stomach burst then it's sleeps for the rest of the day. If these damn doors would open already then she'll be that much closer to being a bum for the day.

So they waited.

Waited.

And waited.

The sun was reaching its highest point. It was noon and they'd been waiting for hours. They'd long since sat down and were picking the grass to find something to amuse themselves. They talked for a good chunk of the time, but after the third hour no one had the energy to speak. They were hot, tired, and hungry. Alex was getting light headed. The harsh sun was eroding away what little strength she had left. What was up with all the weirdness going on lately? Closing the walls early and then opening them late? Maybe the guy in charge of the maze was going off schedule to try to get a raise or something. It'd help if he opened up an exit. If you're gonna go on strike you might as well go all out.

"Ok, I'm starving," Duke said standing to his feet. "I'm going hunting in the woods. I there could be some weapons still in the manager's hut. Alex you wanna come?"

"I can but I'm more of a trapper," she admitted. "I'm not sure I'll be much use hunting."

"If there's a bow and arrow in there then I'll come with you," Pam chimed in. "I'm a decent shot."

"Alright," Duke returned. He was too exhausted to worry about leaving Jeremy and Alex alone again. "Let's go."

They ran off to the manager's hut. Alex really hoped they caught something quick. She leaned forward on her hands and knees and dropped down to her stomach sprawling out on the grass.

"We should've gotten something last night," Jeremy said.

"Yeah," she uttered. "Got any more water?"

He handed her his bottle and she lifted herself up onto her forearms and drank two gulps before giving it back to him. She collapsed back down on the ground again.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I'll survive," she answered.

"I thought about what you said last night," he said.

She turned her head in his direction.

"I've kept my distance from people for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to care for someone," he began. "I don't think I could ever care for someone without being afraid."

She stared at him. She felt heavier than she did a few seconds ago. She didn't like the tone of his voice. He's was about to reject her, and this time it was going by cold logic instead of emotion.

"That's why I need you to teach me."

Her eyes widened. He looked back at her, vulnerable.

"That's if you want to."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd prepared herself for the worse. Him saying that they could never be together. He did the exact opposite of what she planned out in her head.

"Alex?"

Her mind came back to focus. The colors were brighter all of the sudden, the sun felt warmer, her body felt lighter.

"Of course," she replied. "We'll get through it together."

He nodded and was about to say something when he was interrupted. The two jumped to their feet. The maze doors were opening.

"You should go back and find Duke and Pam," Jeremy shouted over the thunder. "Meet them halfway so they know we didn't leave them."

She nodded and started across the meadow for the woods. Pam and Duke probably started coming back the moment the doors started opening. It wouldn't be hard to look for them. The thundering stopped indicating the doors had opened completely.

A sudden high shrill pierced her eardrums.

She turned around. Jeremy was sprinting towards her from the other side of the meadow. His face was ghostly white. He waved at her with his arms.

"Run, Alex, run!"

A second later a Griever shot out of the entrance chasing after him. A surge of adrenaline flushed through her body. She'd never seen anything move so fast in her life. In a couple moments it'd have him. She had to do something. If she ran away then he'd die. So instead of doing the sane thing of retreating to the woods, she ran towards Jeremy against her every instinct. Jeremy was bewildered.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed. "Go, run!"

It leapt in the air and jumped on top of him. He yelled swinging his fists desperately. Alex ran at it run speed. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she wasn't going to let it eat him. Run into it. That's the only thing that came into her mind. It's probably the stupidest thing you could do.

She smashed into it. The stench of rotting meat made her eyes water. Her whole body sucked into it like it was a giant sponge before she bounced off and landed hard in the grass. She got the Griever's attention alright. It whirled around and its red eyes locked on to her. In that one moment in the mist of the terror and horror, a quiet chuckled escaped her lips. I mean come on; it's kinda funny you know? What a clunky situation. Her running in to save her new sorta boyfriend, I guess? Only to end up on her butt with a Griever standing a few feet away from her. She was screwed. Like no hope whatsoever screwed. She even looked for a weapon and only saw the water bottle lying underneath it. She considered going for it for a second. Crazy, the thoughts the human mind will create when faced with death.

She scrambled to her feet but it yanked her leg back so roughly that she thought it ripped her leg off. It threw her to the ground and was to top of her glaring with its red eyes. She screamed hurling her fists on what she guessed was its face. It was unfazed and a long needle shot from its body and hovered over her torso. It was almost as long as she was tall.

An arrow lodged in its right eye. The monster screeched and Alex covered her ears screaming from the pain coursing from her eardrums. It rolled off of her and zoomed towards the manager's hut. Alex turned to her side and looked. Pam was shooting arrows and Duke stood ready beside her with a spear. He was yelling something but Alex could only hear loud ringing. Duke jumped in front of Pam and jammed his spear into the Griever. It threw him aside sending the boy flying. Pam worked her fingers unloading as many arrows as she could. It grabbed her by her neck and the small of her back. The thing twitched bending her backwards and Pam cried in agony. It released her waist holding her by the neck before throwing her in Alex's direction. Pam body thumped on the ground like a slab of meat. Alex rushed to her and lifted her head in her arms. Her blue eyes were squinted open and a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. There wasn't a pulse in her neck.

It was the first time Alex touched a dead body.

All she could think was…what a waste. She looked like a little girl. Her cheeks were flushed red. Her blonde locks stuck to the side of her face. If it weren't for the blood it seemed like she was just about to wake up from an afternoon nap.

She heard Duke shout. He must've shouted loudly if her damaged ears heard him. He was struggling against the Griever, but he wouldn't last much longer. Alex jerked her head to Jeremy. He laid motionless in the grass. Alex kissed Pam on the forehead before placing her back on the ground. She brushed her hair away from her face and closed her eyelids. She wished she could've buried her.

She slid to him. She checked his pulse. He was still alive. Thank God.

"Jeremy, wake up!" she shouted slapping him across the face.

He didn't move. She slapped him again, giving it all she had. He gasped for air and sat straight up. He turned to her his eyes the size of plates.

"What happened?"

The Griever tore Duke apart. His screams broke through the Griever's mechanical whirling.

"We have to go," Alex affirmed getting up and taking his hand.

Jeremy saw Pam. A light breeze ruffled her hair.

"Jeremy, we have to go!" Alex exclaimed pulling him up.

He stumbled to his feet and followed her into the maze. The Griever shrilled. The Gladers looked back. It was chasing them. Jeremy dropped to the dirt. Alex didn't notice he fell until she was twenty yards further nearly ready to round the corner. He crawled in the dirt for a couple feet before straining to get back up. He hobbled forward with a hand on his right knee. The Griever was seconds away from reaching him. Alex watched in disbelief. No, please, Jeremy, run.

The ground shook. It wasn't like how when the doors opened. It shook so violently that she was knocked off her feet. A boulder dropped from the sky. She rolled away and it slammed into the ground. She looked up. The maze walls were crumbling. Dust and fragments rained down. Jeremy.

She started towards him. A giant rock landed between them, coming so close that it brushed her nose. She fell backwards. Another rock landed behind her. A massive flipping shadow darkened her face. She glanced up. Half a wall was barreling down on her. She curled in a fetal position shutting her eyes tightly, praying for either a quick death, or a lucky survival. Anything in between would be worse than dying.


	13. Chapter 13: The fallout

Andy caressed the curve of Wendy's hips as they rolled. He kissed the side of her neck and she moaned as she sunk deeper into him. He traced his other hand along her soft freckled back that was slick with sweat. Her darkened damp hair fell on his face. She rolled her hips faster, her breathing more forced. She coming close, he could feel it. It took a few more seconds before se gasped and her body began to convulse. He had both hands on her hips again and he rode out her climax. Her lips curled into a wide smile before she collapsed on top of him catching her breath. She rolled to his side and reach for the cup of water beside the bed. He curved his arm underneath her head pulling her closer and kissed her on top of her head. She giggled glancing at him. He loved the way she looked after sex. Sure her hair was always a tangled mess and her cheeks were flushed but she looked so alive. Far different from the solemn expression she always maintained. He remembered them both walking in the same direction to the mess hall a week back, but he couldn't recall who started the conversation. They just started talking. He was actually surprised she even spoke to him with her being Brenda's second and all. Funny thing was she much more complex than the robot he thought she'd be. She was pretty shy when it came to intimacy, he had to coax her gently to get in his bed but after they finally slept together she was a completely different girl. She had an entire gallery of drawings. There were a couple of maze ones during different times of the day, one of the agriculture workers in the field. His favorite thought was the picture of a girl sitting at a table by herself, half of her body consumed by the darkness surrounding her. Wendy called it the lonely girl. He could relate. She told him he could have it since he spent so much time looking at it but he refused. He'd get depressed.

"Did you…you know, finish?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Do you want me to help?"

He shook his head again.

"You know out of all the times we've done it, you've never finished. It's not fair that I finish and you don't."

"I just don't want to. Satisfying you is good enough for me."

"That's sweet," she smiled. "But it must suck."

"I can't loose my testosterone," he answered. "It keeps me sharp."

"Oh," she said. "I mean you'll get it back or something, right?"

"Yeah," he answered. "But it'll set me back."

"From what?" she asked. "You're co-leader, you've got just as much power as Brenda."

"I can't be weak," he asserted. "Especially not now. Everyone needs to know I'm a strong leader."

"You don't have to diss Brenda at every turn to prove your strong. It does the opposite. It makes you look insecure."

He gave her a harsh look, but she didn't avoid his glare.

"You can't intimidate me, Andy," she said. "I know you.'

"You don't know me,' he affirmed turning his gaze back to the ceiling. "No one does."

"You can say whatever you want," she said turning over and placing light kisses on his chest. "But I know you wanna finish and I want to see you finish because it's gonna be hot."

His breath cut short as her kisses lowered to his stomach. He ran his hand through her hair as her mouth hovered over his belly button.

"Tell me how much you want it," she whispered in between kisses.

"Give me a reason," he replied.

She'd never tried this. She didn't even know it was a thing until it was brought up when she was hanging out with her girlfriends. She wasn't sure if he'd like it. She'd control his pleasure for once. He would be at mercy.

He almost stopped breathing entirely. He didn't have a problem letting her explore his body, he always stopped her before he got close anyway. But this new move she was doing was making his toes curl. He brought his hand to her head grabbing a clump of her hair and guided her motion. It was just the opposite of what she expected. He had the power. She was his little bitch, another tool to control. She could explain it, but she liked being used like this. He seemed to be enjoying it. It wasn't the sensation that was getting his off, it was his control, absolute control.

"Jesus, Wendy," he murmured.

That was the only warning she got. He thrust his pelvis up and her eyes widened. It was almost too much but she stayed put. The grip on her hair was so tight that it hurt. When he finished he san back a couple inches in the bed. She tried to swallow, but it was way too much. She hopped off and went to the toilet to split the rest of it out. When she came back he was sprawled out on the sheets with a blissful look. She'd never seen him happy. She wished she had her notepad so she could draw him like this.

"Come here," he said sitting and letting his legs hang from he edge of the bed.

She sauntered to him and he pulled her closer by the hips so that her breasts were at his eyelevel.

"I like it when you walk over to me without anything on," he said.

She grinned. It was kind of cool that she had that affect on him.

"I was thinking about how I want to draw you right now," she remarked.

"Why? So you can have something for later?" he grinned.

"No," she said lightly pushing his head. "Just your face. You look happy and I wanna save it."

"I don't think I can smile for that long," he mentioned.

"A smile doesn't always mean your happy," she said brushing his hair on his forehead.

He stared in her eyes without saying anything. What a girl, man.

"Alright,' he said.

She bounced on her feet with joy and ran to her desk to get a pad and pencil.

"You want me to strike a sexy pose?" he asked smiling.

"No," she said pulling a chair. "Just sit there and look at me."

"Are you sure? I can pull off the sexy look.'

"I'm sure Andy, just stay put and don't move too much."

She set her pad on her knee and went to work, periodically glancing up at him. It was cool to see her concentrate so hard, especially when she was drawing. He could stare at her all day long.

Alex's eyes fluttered open. She tried to sit up but was cut short by a slab of rock resting just inches above her nose. She coughed several times, hearing the echo ring throughout wherever she was. She gingerly pushed herself backwards with one hand and feeling the ceiling above her until the fallen rocks allowed enough height for her to crotch on her knee. She pulled out her last remaining glow stick from her back pocket and held it up. Cracked stone and twisted metal laid all around her in an orange glow. There was an path in all the rubble like a dark cave entrance. She moved forward and her bow and quiver jiggled on her back. At least she still had her bow and arrows. Not that it'd do much good if a Griever jumped out from the darkness. She wouldn't have time to react. Her limbs were stiff without the fuel from the adrenaline that had long faded. The memories rushed back into her mind. Running from the Grievers, darting through the maze, hundreds of explosions erupting at once, feeling Jeremy's hand slip away from her own. Now she was here encompassed in darkness.

She was surprised nothing was broken. Yeah, her head was throbbing, but besides a few cuts she was fine. She was lucky to be alive. But she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. If there were Grievers here that survived the maze walls crashing down on their heads then getting crushed to death was much better than slowly being eaten.

She flinched when she heard a noise to her left. She wasn't sure how far it was by how sound was traveling through the cave. It sounded mechanical. Could be a Griever. No, most defiantly a Griever.

The noise started again. This time a few words followed by a fizzled voice.

 _ALPHA...WICKED...READJUST_

"Jeremy?" she said in almost a whisper.

The words kept repeating. She never heard a Griever talk before, maybe if it was talking that meant it was dying. It could give her another clue about an exit, and an explanation for why a Griever attacked her and Jeremy in broad daylight.

She inched in between the fallen rocks, sometimes crawling on her stomach barely squeezing through tiny crevices. The voice grew louder and a pale light peaked through the granite. When she reached a fissure that was tall enough for her to stand up she glanced around expecting to see a bloated Griever body lying somewhere in the dirt.

It wasn't a Griever at all. It was a computer. A thin black laptop with green words flashing on the screen. The voice continued from its tiny embedded speakers.

 _ALPHA...WICKED...READJUST_

Alpha. Wicked. She'd seen those words before written on the walls of both mazes. She remembered asking Natalie about it when she first starting running, but she simply told her that the words have always been there and that no one really knew their significance. Those words had to mean something. The words _press enter_ were under the three bolded words. She hovered a finger over the ENTER key. Then a thought came to her. What if pressing enter allowed Grievers to come to the other maze during the day? If that happened then Grievers would slaughter her whole colony. She couldn't let that happen. She found the DELETE button one key above ENTER. She pressed it and held her breath. The screen cut out and the voice stopped. The internal fan inside the computer fell silent. She pressed delete again, pressing down harder each time in hopes that something would happen. Nothing. She pounded on random keys. Just when things were looking good. Just when they were on the verge of finding an exit in this maze, this happens. The creators must want them to stay here forever.

She almost didn't notice the small opening a foot above her. If it wasn't for the ray of sunlight that peaked through she would've turned around and tried to find Jeremy. She leaned forward and hoisted herself up to look out through the opening. A fresh breath of air scattered her hair, but she didn't relish in it because of what she saw. An ocean of broken rock and boulders stretched in front of her for miles. The entire maze had been demolished. She was trapped in an endless chasm of rubble. A fallen maze. She hoped that this cave in was an isolated incident. How was she supposed to get back to her maze? How was she supposed to find Jeremy? That is if he wasn't dead already. If he wasn't Griever food then he was plastered under thousands of tons of rock. But she had to make sure. There was no way she was going to leave before finding him, or what was left of him. She lowered herself back to the ground. She struggled to stay calm, tried to breath and think.

Clicking, a motor whirling to life.

She spun around and her heart fell to the pit of her stomach. Standing only a few feet away was Griever staring right at her with hot red eyes.

Alex didn't move. The Griever was staring right at her. But it was still. After a minute she forced herself to breath again. The Griever wasn't budging at all. Just staring. She dared to take a step. No reaction. She continued until she was next to it. It wasn't attacking he. She supposed that was one lucky break for the day.

Something passed through the tunnel behind it. It went by so fast she nearly missed it. She edged past the dormant Griever and peered down the dark passageway. When she looked to the left she ducked back immediately. Another Griever zipped past the sharp rush of air scattering her hair. If she looked a second later her head might've gone with it. Clicking again. She turned around. The Griever was dormant anymore. She shrunk back against the wall as it slowly came online. But instead of eating her it darted in the tunnel and disappeared the in the darkness.

She edged back to the tunnel again, checking both ways. Both Grievers ignored her. It was a good thing but it was a bit alarming. Something weird was going on. There was a small speak of light a little ways down the tunnel. She estimated I'd take her 30 seconds to reach it. Her stomach growled loudly. God, she was hungry. She looked both ways again before jumping into the tunnel and sprinted. Her ears tuned for a Griever behind her. Nothing happened. Three stroked of luck. At this rate she might make it out of here alive. She passed through the smaller tunnel where the light was coming from. A thick slab of stone braced a crawlway. It at a sharp angle. She might be able to squeeze through it. She didn't want to touch it though, the whole place could come down. She slipped her arm through the crack. She took a few deep breaths before bringing the rest of her torso through, it was extremely difficult to keep her balance. She struggled to keep her weight off the rock, but the more she moved over the harder it become to stay upright. There was nothing to hold on to either. She stopped. Her right leg was almost on the other side but still had to move her left one. She'll fall back on the slab for sure as soon as she lifts it. Well the what to do, bounce off it quickly or gradually lean against it. Might as well do it quick. She just wanted to get this over with. She swing her left let over falling back on the rock and jumped on the other side in one motion. She looked back. Beside of cloud of dust everything was where it should be. The rock was so solid that she could've taken a nap on it.

Voices. A lot of voices.

She followed them. They were coming from a tiny bright slit in the rocks at her eyelevel. She peered through it. There was a huge clearing that didn't look like it was formed by rock debris. If she didn't know any better she'd say it was a warehouse. Light poles a washed the polished walls and floor. Criss-crossing along the ground were people in long white lab coats. Grievers trickled in through a doorway and obediently pressed against the wall. Those people walking around with glowing pads under their arms, they looked older. Are they adults?

It became apparent after a while that the one red haired lady was running the show. She inspected every single Griever that lined on the wall with a crowd behind her, tapping their fingers on their pads every time she said a word. She even activated one of them and it shot out every deadly gadget in its body in all directions. The lady didn't even flinch. Control over Grievers meant one thing, creators. The red head lady must be the one in charge if everyone was reporting to her. Nothing would make Alex happier than seeing of these Grievers go haywire and kill her. This lady was responsible for killing Pam, Duke, countless Gladers. She was a mass murderer.

"Ms. Paige, we found one!"

That name, Paige. It sounded so familiar.

Two men dragged someone through the doors. His legs sagged behind him and his head bowed. When they brought him closer to Paige Alex's eyes light up.

They got, Jeremy. Was he alive?

"Is he alive?" the Paige lady asked as if reading her mind.

"Yes, ma'am," one of the henchmen answered. "We found him unconscious among the rubble."

"What abut the girl?" Paige asked.

"We haven't found her yet," the man answered. "But we'll keep searching."

"Thank you gentlemen," Paige said. "Bind him in case he wakes up and set him against the wall. I'll deal with him once we're done here."

They followed her orders and placed him next to the Grievers. It would've been nice if he was on the wall closest to her rather than the furthest wall with 30 creators in her path. But like with everything else, the creators just had to make everything harder. She needed a plan. As much as she wanted to run in there, snag Jeremy and bail she had to be smart. She needed a way in first. The tunnel continued in both directions. The light from the slit illuminated a dead end on the right. Left it was then. She quickly made her way through the passageway, praying that it wasn't blocked. She'd been lucky so far.

She got her wish. A tiny crawl space just big enough for her to fit. She squatted down and wiggled her way through to the slick floor on the other side. She was completely exposed. She scurried underneath a metal table beside her. If one of the creators looked her way then they'd see her. They were preoccupied but she could only stay here for so long before she was caught. Still, if she wanted to get anywhere close to him she'll need a distraction. She swept the room. A power plug sticking out of the wall with thinner wires webbing from the primary cable to the light poles. It was on the other side of the room adjacent to the Griever line. She'd have to run across the floor to get to it. Jeremy was on the other end of the Grievers. She stared at him hard, picturing her plan in her head. She'll run to the plug, pull it, throw it so when a creators sees her and tries to plug it back, get to Jeremy. She'll have to estimate how much space she'll have from the Grievers. The plan sounded solid enough. She waited for a group of creators to clear away from the plug. The read haired lady called them over. All except one. A girl with dark almost black wavy hair and blue eyes. She looked almost Alex's age. This chick was fixated was on her pad. Alex instantly hated her. Taking part in killing kids her age.

"Ms. Paige, the boy's coming to," one of the henchman said.

Jeremy slowly lifted his head up blinking his eyes. The Paige lady walked to him and watched him as he cranked his head from side to side trying to figure out where he was.

"Hello," she greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" he demanded.

"You are in one of the bunkers we have embedded in the maze. What was the last thing you remember?"

"No," he hissed. "Who are you?"

"I can't tell you that," Paige answered. "Now please answer my question, what was the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know. I–," he turned his head and saw the dormant Griever next to him. He nearly jumped three feet from his butt and scooted against the guard's leg.

"What's _that_ doing next to me?" he exclaimed.

"Calm down," Ms. Paige said. "It's offline. We're running software updates so that they navigate the second maze."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he shouted. "I saw those things kill my friends!"

His eyes widened.

"Where's Alex?"

"We don't know where she is," Paige answered. Her voice was strained. "We're looking for her."

"You're lying," he accused. "I bet you feed to one of the Grievers. You control these things? You must be creators."

"You're correct," Paige replied. "You see, Jeremy, we…"

Paige went on but he didn't hear her. He saw Alex wave her hand from under the table to get his attention. He concealed his surprised and flicked his eyes back to Paige. After a couple seconds he casually glanced at her pretending to ignore Paige. Alex pointed to the power plug and make a pulling motion. He needed to sit tight and she'll get him. She gave a thumbs up to see if he understood. He nodded his head very slowly. Paige was still talking, the other creators were busy, the guards were focusing on Jeremy. It was now or never. She eyed the young girl staring at her pad. Come on, come on, get out of the way.

"Teresa."

The girl's head turned to the voice's direction. She pressed on her glowing pad a couple times before walking over to whoever called her, not that Alex cared anyway. This was her chance.

She jumped from underneath the table and made a beeline for the plug. For the first few seconds no one noticed the filthy girl running with a trail of dust in her wake. That changed quickly after a barrage of voices rose in alarm.

"It's the girl! Someone stop her!"

Ms. Paige spun around. She saw her. Strained and desperate. She almost didn't recognize her. She'd forgotten what she looked like in real life after watching her from the monitor for months.

"Alex," she whispered to herself.

She was maybe two strides away from the plug when someone stepped in front of her. It was that girl. She had her arms outstretched begging her to stop.

"Out of my way!" Alex shouted.

Alex crashed into her and the girl wrapped her arms around her bringing them both to the ground.

"Get off me!" Alex yelled.

"Don't pull the plug!" the girl exclaimed fighting to keep her down. "If you do the power circuits to the maze machines will short and they'll go nuts."

Rational Alex would've stopped struggling. Rational Alex would've never dared touch that plug. There were at least 10 Grievers in the room. But she wasn't thinking rationally. She was a girl hell bent on saving the boy she loved. She wasn't about to girl him away to the creators. If she was going to die, cool, at least she'd taking a bunch of creators with her.

She shoved her off and yanked on the plug just as another creator, a boy her age, jumped in to help.

The room fell pitch black. It was so dark that she couldn't see her hand throw the plug. Twenty tiny red lights blinked to life. Like lasers searching for targets. The two armed guards turned on the flashlight at the end of their guns. The Grievers doubled in size and metal spikes protruded from their bodies. All the oxygen was sucked out of the room. It was the suffocating feeling during a long drop. The air sucked out of your lungs, your stomach clenches, and you know that once you hit the ground it's gonna hurt.

The men opened fire. One lunged on the henchman and he sprayed bullets in all direction as he feel under the Griever's weight. Blood curling screams echoed inside the dark room as figure zigzagged in front of her. The dead henchman's gun fell out of his hand and the light perfectly illuminated Jeremy who was struggling to get up. She pushed herself to her feet, running to him.

"FIND THE PLUG!" someone shouted over the chaos.

She slid to her side and pulled him up, grabbing the gun on the floor.

"Come on!" she said.

She didn't need to say another word. She turned to run shinning her light along the wall trying to find the crawl space. For a fleeting moment she feared that it caved in or something. There it was. It was low to the ground. A lot lower than she thought. She turned to see if Jeremy was behind her. He was barley a few feet from the wall. He was limping. His leg! She rushed back and put his arm around her shoulder. He grunted from the pain but said nothing. They were so close to getting away.

Something slammed into her back causing her to drop her gun. They both fell forward and Jeremy cried in pain. She flipped over to reach her weapon, but when she did she stared face to face with the red haired lady. Seeing her this close didn't scare her nearly as much as the nagging feeling that she knew her. The lady's face didn't show anger or hatred, the kind of face Alex expected from a creator. A single tear shinning in the light dropped from her left eye.

"Alex," she whispered and brushed her hair on the side of her face. "I'm so sorry."

That threw Alex off completely. Since when did creators care about the kids they were killing? A Griever screeching behind her brought her back to senses and Alex pushed the red haired lady away. She yanked Jeremy to his feet and ran the final few steps to the crawlspace.

"You go first," Jeremy asserted. Another Griever barreled towards them.

"No, you go. I'll cover you," she said. He hesitated. She pushed him to the ground.

"We don't have time for this, Jeremy, go!"

She turned back to the Griever rushing towards her. She pressed her finger on the trigger blasting a stream of bullets. She didn't expect so much recoil. She probably only hit the thing a few times before the bullets rose harmlessly to the ceiling. The gun clicked. A large narrow needle shot out of the Griever's body and plunged into her shoulder.

She never felt so much pain.

She screamed and screamed and screamed, crumbling to the ground. Every nerve in her body was on fire. She barley felt herself being dragged through the crawlspace. She plopped in the dirt on the other side trembling. She wished there were some bullets left in the gun so she could grab it and kill herself to end the agony. Not that she had the strength to do that anyway.

"What happened?" Jeremy exclaimed.

Alex couldn't speak. Her brain was overwhelmed. Her vision was growing darker. He pulled away her hand clutching her shoulder and ripped the fabric to see the wound. He drew back. A puncture surrounded by blue veins that was spreading from the jab to the rest of her body. He'd never seen anything like this.

"Jeremy," she croaked. He looked at her and wiped the tears away from her cheeks.

"I'm here, Alex," he said. "We're gonna get out of this."

"I don't wanna die," she murmured.

"You're not gonna die," he affirmed. "I won't let you die."

Her eyelids drooped and her body began to relax.

"Alex, you need to stay awake," he said clasping her hand. "You can't go to sleep."

"I…I," he head titled to the side.

She was still breathing. He didn't know what the Griever did to her, but he had to get her back to the glade. Trouble was he didn't know where to start. As he hoisted her up in his arms the lights in the warehouse came back to life.

 _Damn simonfreewriter! Back at it again with the stories! Oh wait that trend already passed? My bad lolol. Anyway what's going on y'all hope you're having a great summer. Just finished my internship so that's why I haven't posted in a long time. The good news is all I did was write in my journal during my workdays and wrote the next 2 chapters. In honor of the Republican and Democratic conventions coming up I'm gonna try to stick a political chapter in here. We'll see how it goes. But anyway keep a look out for more updates! Peace!_


	14. Chapter 14: All of Ava's children

Ava walked through her office doors and immediately opened the bottom left drawer. She needed a cigarette. She hasn't smoked since Alex was sent to the Glade. 2 months, almost 3, it felt like 3 years. She sent her staff home for the day. The night staff was coming to relief and her own 2nd in command would be coming shortly. The first thing she'll do is take a shower. Wash all the blood off her hands and face. She'll need a new lab coat. When the lights finally came on six shredded bodies laid on the floor. There was a thin film of blood on the ground that sloshed a bit when you walked. The Grievers had shut down. 10 people were wounded and 3 were stung. People came down to take the bodies and the doctors took care of the wounded in the hospital. Her subordinates were pissed. Friends were lost. Ava always separate herself from other people so she didn't know any of the dead and injured. It's been that way since she sent her daughter away. As bad as she felt for her people a part of her was pleased that this happened. This experiment had tuned into a sick game where they played god. There wasn't any empathy for these kids. When one died they'd shrug and continue with their work. Each kid that died had friends too. The pain her people were feeling right now had been present in the Glade for years. Hopefully this'll remind everyone that this experiment was life and death. They were doing this to find a cure, not sit on their hands and watch kids run around a maze all day.

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said.

Her second, William, entered. A balding middle aged man and graying beard, a more typical look around the experiment control center. The only thing that separated him from the others his age was his fitness. He ran everyday. He tried to convince her to try it sometime. Theory was that it cleared the mind.

"Sarah filled me in on the drive here," he said. "You look like hell."

"I feel like hell."

"Go home and get some rest," he said. "You need sleep."

"Let me just finish this," she replied lighting her cigarette.

Will watched her blow a puff of smoke disapprovingly.

"You know there are other ways to relive stress."

"I used to run track and field in school before the flare," Paige mentioned. "I was pretty good. But every time I ran in a track meet I never felt as good as lighting a cig."

"That explains why Alex is so fast," he remarked.

"The only good thing I've ever given her," Paige returned. "I saw her. We ran into each other and her face was an inch from mine. She didn't even know who I was. She doesn't know what her own mother looks like."

Her cigarette trembled in her hand.

"I'm not sure I can do this anymore, Will," she said. "I can't run this experiment with my daughter in the middle of it all."

"But we need you," he attested. "You run WICKED. The experiment won't succeed without you."

"If Alex dies…I just can't."

"How is she?"

"Her and the boy, Jeremy, are in the rubble," she answered. "We lost track of them. I never should've sent her to that damned Glade."

"She's immune to the flare and she's brilliant," Will said. "You did the right thing. Remember this is for the cure. Our existence depends on what we do here."

There has to be another way," she replied.

"We looked at all other options," Will affirmed. "You know this."

Ava didn't say anything. All she could think about was her daughter, her face dirtied, her eyes darker. She'd known terror and seen death. The wide-eyed shy girl she sent away was gone forever.

"I'm going home," she said flicking the cig butt in the trashcan. She rose from her chair and brushed past him heading for the door.

"You should try going for a run, Ava," he said. "Try it once and if you don't like I won't bother you about smoking again."

"If I have time I'll try," she answered before walking out the door.

Max almost ran into a wall of rock He stopped and blocked Natalie from walking into it when she appeared behind him.

"Whoa," she drew back. "When did that get there?"

"No idea," he answered.

He made his way around the wall. When he reach the end around the corner he stopped. He stood motionless his brain slow to accept what his eyes were telling him.

"At least the vines are on still on this wall," Natalie remarked. "We can still get back"

"Natalie, look at this."

She didn't like the tone of his voice. When she moved next to him and looked her mouth fell open.

An ocean of fallen rock and screwed metal poles stuck out of the earth for as far as they could see. Mountains of shattered stone and slab protruded sharply from the ground. Boulders tumbled from the slops like a gray stampedes. The boy's glade was barley visible in the distance, the green grass standing out from the gray and black around the two runners.

"What happened?" Natalie murmured. "What the…"

Max rose his hand stopping her mid-sentence.

"You hear that?" he said.

They both listened. Screaming.

"Yeah," Natalie said pointing to their right. "It's coming from that way."

The two runners ran to the source, jumping over broken rocks and puts. The screaming sent chills up Max's spine. Whoever that was was in a lot of pain.

They stopped and tuned their ears again. It was coming from below.

"Hello?" Max shouted. "Who's down there?"

The screams continued. It was a girl's scream. Max imagined the worse. Her leg pinned under hundreds of tons of rock.

"Hello!" Max shouted at the top of his lungs. "We're up here!"

The screams lowered, no more like muffled.

"Hello?" came a boy's voice from underground.

"Yeah, we're here!" Natalie yelled.

"Natalie," the voice answered. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me and Max!" she replied. "Who are you?"

"Jeremy," he returned. "I'm with Alex. A griever did something to her and she's in a lot of pain. We need to get her to the doctor."

There was a lot of debris between them. It'd take a lot more muscle. They'd need the whole Glade.

"We'll need more people," Natalie said reading his mind.

"Yeah," Max returned. "You go back. I'll stay."

She nodded and ran back to the wall with the vines.

"This is Max," he called. "I'm staying here with you guys until Natalie comes back with help!"

"Ok, we'll sit tight!" Jeremy shouted back.

"Will Alex hold out?"

"She'll make it," Jeremy replied.

Jeremy glanced down at Alex. Her breaths came out in rasps. He took off his shirt and dabbed the sweat off her forehead. She was ghostly white and her lips had a tinge of blue. Her eyes were bloodshot and blue veins spread from her shoulder through her chest down to her thigh. He didn't want to look away from her. If he turned away and then looked back she could be dead. Every hour she'd go through a pain session and all he could do was clutch her hand as she screamed. He should be going through this not her. Lord knows he deserved it after how he treated her. He hoped the Grievers killed every single creator in that room.

"Help is on the way," Jeremy murmured. "We'll be outa here in no time."

She stared blankly at the ceiling of jumbled rocks. She started doing that a few hours ago, stare and not react to what he said. Like she was asleep with her eyes open.

"Alex," he said shaking her. Moving her a little brought her out of her trance. "Did you hear me?"

She blinked her eyes and turned her head facing him.

"No, what did you say?"

"Max and Natalie found us," Jeremy answered. "They're getting help."

"You think they can bring a steak once they pull us out?" she mumbled. "I want a steak. A nice big juicy steak, and some water,

"What else do you want?" he asked. "The more she talked the better.

"I wanna punch Andy," she answered.

"What?" He laughed. "Why?"

"He's a douche bag," she said smiling weakly. "They pull me out and I see his face I just go 'boom' punch him. You think he'd hit me back?"

"Probably," he said grinning.

"I thought so too," she giggled.

She went silent again. He dabbed her forehead. It was at that moment that he realized he loved her. He didn't know why he was so certain all of sudden. It was a rush of love, like lava bursting out of a volcano.

"Alex," he said. She was fading away. He shook her again.

"Alex, I have to tell you something."

She met his eyes. His heart jumped. He was more nervous then he was in the warehouse.

"I love you," he said. He wished his voice didn't crack when he said it.

She gazed at him. For a moment he thought she faded again until he felt her grip on his hand get a little tighter.

"Are you saying that because you think I'm gonna die?"

"No," he asserted. "I'm saying it because I want to spend my life with you. I want you to be strong. Keep fighting. I'm not gonna lose you."

He held her hand close to her heart.

"Feel that?" he said. "That's how nervous you make me."

"Even I'm ugly like now?" Tears were streaming from her eyes.

"You're as beautiful as ever," he answered.

There were voices on the surface. Lots of voices.

"Jeremy, can you hear me?" he looked up. That was Brenda's voice.

"Yeah!" he replied.

"We're digging you out!" she called back. "Watch your heads!"

Brenda turned to the crowd of Gladers behind her. She looked for Andy. He emerged from the crowd out of breath and stood behind her.

"You wanna split everyone up?" she murmured.

"Yeah," he said and cleared his throat turning to the crowd.

"We'll split in groups of 15. 8 girls and 7 guys. An overseer will coordinate each group. Alex is hurt to we have to must fast. Let's get to it."

The Gladers grouped together and quickly got to work moving the first chunk of rock. No one realized how many people actually made up the glade until everyone was in one place. The fact that the glade doubled in size still took some getting used to.

Wendy came beside Andy helping him move a slab.

"See, they listen to you," she said.

"I suppose," he replied. "But I only spoke because Brenda let me."

The two struggled to move another mass of stone. Jaden came to help and after a few more pulls the slab rolled away.

Maggie didn't know how to approach Sonja. She was struggling with a boulder and everyone else in their group had their hands full. She supposed just going up and helping her would be best. She tip toed over the rocks till she was next to her and pushed. The last thing Sonja expected was Maggie the bitch to help her. The two girls pushed with of all their might, but the rock only slid a couple feet. They stopped to rest for a minute before pushing again clear it from the dig site.

"Thanks," Sonja panted as both girls had their hands on their knees catching their breaths.

"Yeah," Maggie replied.

Sonja fell back on her hands and flipping her hair away from her face.

"You ok?" Maggie asked.

Sonja glanced up at her. Her caramel skin slick with sweat matched her hazel eyes. Her usual big puffy hair was tied back by a black headband. Her thin frame differed so much from the hefty rocks surrounding her.

"My best friend's probably dying below our feet. I'm out here killing myself moving all these damn rocks. The creators suck. No, I'm not ok."

Maggie didn't really know what to say. There wasn't anything to say to make it better. All she could do was help. Push and dig. That is what every single glader did for the next two hours. A rotation of kids went back to bring water and mom and chief went back to the kitchen to make sandwiches everyone.

The sunlight peeking between the debris grew brighter the closer the glader dug. Jeremy pulled at the rocks ignoring the dug coating his face. He could hear their voices. They were so close. Finally a beam of light shined in his eyes and several head shadows were over him.

"Jeremy!" One of them exclaimed.

"Get her first!" he said picking Alex up. She'd been unconscious for over an hour. Multiple hands and arms reached down and lifted her from his hold. Another arm extended and he grabbed pulling himself up to the surface. He shielded his eyes blinking to adjust to the sun's glare. When he could finally see he couldn't believe it. All of the Gladers were here. They all came to save them. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised, but still it was nice to see friends and strangers join together.

"Jeremy," Max said jogging to him. The two gave each a quick man hug patting each other on the back. "Good to see you alive, man."

"Good to be alive," Jeremy returned. He saw a group of Gladers rushing Alex away from the scene. And what a scene this all was. He couldn't believe he survived all this destruction. It was like the end of the world.

"What the hell happened?" Max asked.

Duke, Pam, the Grievers, the head creator, Alex, he wished he'd forgotten it all. Those are memories that'll keep him up at night. He didn't want to talk about it, but holding it in would be a disservice to friends lost and his love. Not speaking would just be plain cowardly.

 _Been a while but I cranked this one out XD. Look for updates soon. Working on the next part. Trying to keep the time between chapters short._


	15. Chapter 15: The pack

The last few days were a blur. The only times Alex woke was to either eat, drink, or scream in pain. The faces watching over her all blended together. They'd say something but it was like her head was underwater. Sometimes someone would hold her numbed hand and talk. She peed herself a lot. She didn't have the strength to get out of bed to use of the toilet. She didn't know if anyone cleaned up after her. She didn't really care. She didn't care about anything. There was just the horrible pain. She had some weird flashbacks during her screaming fits. A lot of them had that Paige lady. Bits and pieces. She was always with some man. Dark brown hair, soft eyes, smiling. There wasn't a flashback where he wasn't smiling. It felt like they were both standing over her. It felt so real. She try to reach out and touch them, but the slightest movement would bring a jolt of agony.

"Alex?"

She opened her eyes. Her thoughts were foggy, like waking up after a long dream. It took a few moments to recognize the four faces looking down at her. Max, Natalie, Jeremy, and Sonja.

"Hi," she murmured. Her throat hurt just saying that.

The four of them drew back in surprise.

"Can you hear us?" Sonja asked.

Alex slowly nodded glancing at each of their faces. Judging by their expressions she must've been in bad shape.

"How…was I?" she croaked.

"It looked rough," Jeremy said.

"That's an understatement," Sonja asserted. "You don't know how many times we thought we lost you."

"Excuse me guys," Michael said scooting between them. He had his white lab jacket hanging over his shoulders. It was way too big for his skinny frame but he always said it made him feel more like a doctor. Plus he's never lost a patient while wearing it.

"I need to check on her. Jeremy, you mind getting Jenna downstairs for me?"

"Yeah," he said.

She heard the door open and close. Jenna was the girls' doctor. A nice chick who hosted stretching routines every Wednesday.

"How you feeling?" Michael asked.

"Groggy," she answered. "How long was I out of it?"

"5 days," he replied.

Jenna entered the room followed by Jeremy.

"Hey, Alex," she said standing over her.

She ran her fingers under her jawbone.

"Swelling in your lymph nodes has gone down."

"My what?'

"Lymph nodes," she said. "They help your immune system basically."

She placed a hand on her heart and the other on her stomach.

"Take a couple deep breaths."

When Alex inhaled she wheezed and croaked as she exhaled.

"Just mucus build up in your lungs," Jenna explained. "Your immune system shut down she there's still a lot of inflection. Follow my finger."

She trailed her long finger as it passed along her vision. It was kind of hard to follow, Alex squinted her eyes to stay with it.

"Hmm, a little slow," Jenna remarked. "But it's ok, getting better, a lot better than the first day."

"How bad was it the first day?"

"You couldn't see my finger." Jenna answered.

She peeled the bandage off her bare shoulder. It looked nasty, but not as awful as she remembered. The blue lines tracing her veins were thinner and caked blood circled the wound. She lightly touched it. Her touch immediately ignited a jolt of pain through her arm.

"Still tender?"

"Yeah," Alex answered blinking hard. She felt a little dizzy.

"You're staying here for the next couple of days," Jenna determined. "We'll decide your situation then. You're the first person to get stung so we don't know what to expect."

"Always leading the way," Alex muttered.

"But you're getting better," Jenna assured. "You'll be out and about in no time. We'll leave you all be. I'm sure you guys have some catching up."

The two doctors walked out of the room. Sonja grabbed a chair scooted by Alex's bed.

"Dinner time," she said pulling up a small wooden box.

"Dinner?" Alex looked out the window. It was late evening. The maze walls were still open. Maze runners were trickling from the exit heading to the kitchen for chow. Just another day. While she'd been cooped up in the doctor's office screaming her head off business went on as usual.

Sonja opened her box. Steak, salad, and a thick slice of bread.

"Oh, thank you," Alex said breathing in the delicious smell. "Thank you very much."

"Oh, sorry, Alex, " Sonja said. "This is mine. Here's yours."

She lifted another box. A small metal container and a piece of bread.

"What's in there?"

"Broth," Sonja answered.

Alex gave her a disappointed look.

"Alex, please don't," Sonja said. "You're gonna make me sad. Michael said broth only. He thinks you'll choke if you eat solid food. Besides it's chicken broth, your favorite."

"I've never had broth before."

"You said it two days ago," Sonja replied. "You don't remember saying how much you liked it?"

"Alex shook her head.

"You don't remember Jeremy and I feeding you?"

Alex shook her head again.

"What all do you remember?" Jeremy asked.

She thought back. The walls closing, stranded in boys' glade, the Griever attack, buried alive, the pain.

"Everything," she muttered.

Jeremy and Sonja glanced at each other. Alex lifted her head.

"What?"

"Nothing it's just…" Sonja looked to Jeremy to finish.

"We found Pam's body in the Glade after we were dug out," he said. "And Duke, well what was left of him. We had a funeral for them right when we got back."

Alex was back in the boys' Glade, looking into Pam's lifeless green eyes.

"Natalie and Max took it hard," Jeremy continued. "I guess with all the good going on lately the creators had to remind us our lives are supposed to suck."

"At least you stuck it to them," Sonja determined.

Alex gave her a puzzled look.

"Jeremy told everyone what you did in the caves," Sonja explained. "You've been the talk of the Glade. A lot of people are calling you a hero."

Alex didn't feel like hero. All she did was come up with a stupid plan to try to save Jeremy. She's lucky she didn't get her and Jeremy both killed.

Sonja dipped the spoon in the chicken broth and held it in front of Alex's lips. Alex sniffed it a few times and cringed the bridge of her nose.

"Alex, just eat it," Sonja sighed.

Alex scowled but opened her mouth slightly. She feed her and dipped the spoon in the broth again. She was more willing to have it this time. It was actually pretty good. Gosh, that Griever string must've totally screwed up her mind.

Brenda pushed away the folds to Andy's tent. He was at his workstation hunched over a piece of paper with half a page worth of writing. She hardly made any noise coming in but nonetheless he turned around quickly and half smiled rising from his chair.

"Brenda, I've been expecting you," he said.

Brenda held up a sheet of paper.

"What is this?" she demanded.

He glanced at the paper in his hand.

"Did you read it?"

"Of course I read it," she snapped back.

"Then I don't understand what you're so confused about," he said shrugging.

" _From here on all runners are suspended from entering into the Maze until further notice. Runners will see their jobs posted in the column below."_

Brenda crumbled the sheet and tossed it on the ground.

"I'm called a meeting with the manger's tomorrow," Andy said. "I just wanted you to know so that we can work together to make the necessary changes. The runners have been causing a lot of havoc in the maze. It's time we settle down for a while."

"You called a meeting with the manager's about this?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "There a problem?"

"Yes, there's a problem," she hissed. "You can't just turn this Glade inside out with consulting me and the managers about it first."

"I don't need to consult the managers and I thought you wanted us to work together."

"Right now, you're just enacting laws by yourself," she pointed. "I shouldn't have to explain this to you. You know what you're doing."

"I just wanna lead too," Andy said. "You're running the show right now. Everyone can see it. You only let me lead when you choose to step back."

"What are you talking about, Andy?" she asked throwing up her hands. "Is this what this is about? You don't feel you're equal to me?"

"I'm not and you know it."

"Making this order and calling a meeting without talking to me about it makes me unequal to you. I would never do anything like that. I don't see why you have to make everything about you. By the way Max came and talked to me. He told me about how you confronted him and talked about forcing a vote."

"Did he?"

"I don't want to fight you, Andy," she affirmed. "But don't go behind my back. If you have a problem then talk to me."

"I don't wanna fight you either," Andy replied.

Brenda stared at him for a long time. He's dangerous. She didn't realize how much of a threat he was until now. She knew there'd be some growing pains, but he was working to undermine her. Make her seem like she was loosing power. She had to do something about him. If he wanted a vote then he'll get it. She had to play it smart. Andy probably already had to plan to take her place. He's not an idiot. She couldn't be rash or let her emotions get the best of her. She should just go back to her tent and think carefully about what she was going to do.

"I'm glad," she said finally. "Please call off your meeting tomorrow. I'm willing to have one but not after we talk alone."

"Well that's good," he remarked.

She couldn't stand being in this tent for one more second. She spun around and left through the entrance. Andy took that moment to get a glimpse at her ass as she walked out. Why not? She was sexy. She'd be a great number two. He liked this little power play game. Her naive talk about working together was cute. He knew she wasn't stupid enough to believe it. Any leader grows an acute sense of threats to their power. That's why they'd make a great couple. Him leading the glade with a strong girl by his side. He'd abandon Wendy in a heartbeat. She was just like any other follower. Always mindful not to rock the boat and try to make everybody get along. Brenda and him both knew that not everybody gets along. He's the Alpha male and she's the Alpha female. Sooner or later one of them is going to be brought to heel.


	16. Chapter 16: Mudslinging

"You know if I was in your situation I would've stay in bed," Jeremy remarked.

Alex leaned over using him for support. He had his arm around her as he helped her walk. For a few steps she'd walk perfectly fine then her legs buckle and she falls into him. You don't know how much thought and effort goes into walking until you have to relearn it. It was the early afternoon and the sun was beginning to peak over the maze walls. The runners had gone inside before Alex had woke up. She'd asked for Jeremy to help her rehab the night before and Max gave him permission to do so. The doctors weren't too keen about it. They wanted her to stay in bed for at least two more days, but Alex couldn't stand being cooped up in the infirmary. She was bored out of her mind. Her nervous system was still repairing or something according to doc Jenna. The sting was a huge shock to her bed so a lot of connections were damaged. Running was out of the question. It'd take baby steps to get back in the maze, literally.

She stumbled again. There was a sharp pain in her right ankle. She grabbed it wincing and Jeremy slowly lowered her to the ground.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My ankle," she answered. She grimaced when she tried turning it. It was beginning to swell like a pink balloon.

"That's it," Jeremy asserted. "No more walking until you can get control of your freaken body. If you keep doing this you'll hurt yourself even more. I'm taking you back to the infirmary."

She grabbed his arm pulling herself up.

"No, I'm carrying you back," he determined.

"But…"

"Alex, stop."

She signed and wrapped her arm behind his neck. He hoisted her in his arm her feet dangling and she rested her head against his chest. This really sucked. Really really sucked. She remembered how much she hated getting up in the morning and running through the maze day after day chasing the ghost exit that kept everybody's hopes up. At least she was useful. She felt like an outsider watching from the window of the Gladers working and talking. Things looked so different looking from the outside. She almost didn't recognize any of them. The familiar bodies and faces that she saw constantly when she returned from the maze looked so foreign and worn. Is this how the creators see them? A bunch of kids in tattered clothes who keep their noses to the ground? No wonder they can kill Gladers so easily. They can't relate to any of them.

Jeremy carried her past the manager's hut. The infirmary was a little ways away near the agriculture fields and the chow building. The doors opened. The girl's agricultural overseer walked out. She had her head down and brushed past Jeremy and Alex pretending not to notice them. Mom, the kitchen overseer walked out, followed by the butcher manger, the slop overseer, every manager and overseer walked out of the building except for two. Max and Natalie. Jaden and Andy came out together. Andy had a big smile on his face, but Jaden seemed uneasy.

"Aw isn't that cute?" Andy remarked pointing at Alex cradled in Jeremy's arms. Jeremy gently set her to her feet.

"Did you call a manager's meeting?" Jeremy asked.

"Sure did," Andy answered.

"Without Natalie and Max?" Alex pointed out.

"We'll give them the details once they get back," Andy said. "This couldn't wait."

Alex glanced through the open door.

"Where's Brenda and Wendy?" she asked.

Andy sighed annoyed by her question.

"Again we'll fill them in."

"You held a meeting without four managers?" Alex asked lowering her brow. "One of which being the leader?"

"Co-leader," he rebuked. "And yes I did. Brenda didn't want to do the meeting so I held it."

"And I guess Max, Natalie, and Wendy didn't wanna come too?" Jeremy said.

"I guess not, Jeremy," Andy said shrugging.

"What did you guys even talk about?" Alex asked. "Everybody was so gloomy."

"Might as well tell you since the other managers will give the word out," Andy began. "All runners are suspended from going into the maze."

Neither one of the two runners said anything for several seconds. They looked to each other mouths hanging open.

"I feel that the runners are going to put this glade at risk. If we had moved to the boys' glade instead of here then we'd all be dead. We should settle down for a while and wait for things to calm down before we start exploring the maze again."

"You're blaming us for what happened?" Jeremy hissed.

"I never blamed you," Andy replied. "But you guys must've done something to piss the creators off if the maze collapsed. Then Alex's rescue probably made them even more mad."

"We did nothing different," Alex snarled. "We went back and forth between mazes like we did for weeks."

"Maybe that's the problem," Andy said. "The creators thought we moving too fast and this stunt was their way of reeling us in."

"So you rather us sit on our hands and do nothing?" Jeremy retorted. "Live here forever?"

"Maybe that's not so bad," Andy answered. "Think about it. We have girls _and_ boys living here. We can create something that wasn't possible before our two people met. A civilization.

"This ain't a civilization," Jeremy argued. "This is a prison. We were sent here against our will."

"Look," Andy said pointing behind them. The two turned their heads and saw the glade. Rows of vegetables and fruits lined acres of the agriculture fields. Cattle grazed near the woods. Shepherds and dogs directed a pack of sheep to the farmhouses. A new observatory was under construction on the far end of the glade for the stargazers club that meet every night once the Gladers had finished their work. Tired builders were crowded around a table out side of the cafeteria.

"It's already starting," Andy said. "We just haven't noticed it."

"Still," Jeremy said. "That's not for you to decide."

"Maybe Duke and Pam would be still around if you didn't play explorer."

Alex saw Jeremy's face flush red. She wrapped her hands around his face and forced him to face her. Andy was doing this to get attention. He wanted to cause a commotion by doing this. If Jeremy charged him then that would only seal the suspension. No doubt Andy would love a bruised up face to help his argument. He resisted her pull and stared down Andy.

"Are you blaming us for what happened now?" he said.

"ANDY!"

The three of them turned. Brenda and Wendy followed by the girl overseers marched over the hill. Alex had never seen her that pissed. The overseers weren't much happier either. To make matters worse girls began trickling down from the hill twenty yards behind Brenda's entourage. Alex and Jeremy looked at each other. This was more than an issue with the runners.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Brenda hissed.

The sun was beginning to set below the maze walls. Andy and Jaden were caught in the wall's shadow. The girls behind Brenda looked ready to rip them both to shreds if she gave the word.

"We were supposed to talk," she continued. "We agreed you wouldn't go behind my back and you did it anyway."

Andy eyed the growing number of girls forming behind her. Boys were making their way to the spectacle, some mixing with the crowd of girls, a smaller number circling around and standing behind Andy. The Gladers knew what this was. The standoff that had been in the minds of every girl and boy since the two Glades joined was here.

"The thing is I don't want your permission to do something I wanna do," Andy said.

"You don't…"

"And I don't wanna share power with you either," Andy asserted. "Not unless we set some ground rules."

"I thought we went over this," Brenda determined.

"I wanna go over it again," Andy said.

"You didn't work with her," a girl from the crowd shouted. It sounded like Kim, the builder overseer. "What makes us think you'll work with her this time?"

"Shut up!" a boy standing behind Andy yelled.

"How can you support that jerk?" another girl exclaimed.

"Go back to picking flowers for your hair, girly," the same boy shot back. That caused a rumble throughout the crowd. Andy seemed amused by the commotion. Kim and two other girls stepped forward and walked towards the boy. He stood still scowling. No one said anything. Brenda's side seemed content on letting the girls have their way with him, while Andy's side was happy to have someone finally say what they've all been thinking.

"What'd you say jerkface?" Kim snapped. She was a short stocky girl whose light skin was darkened after months of being out in the sun. She could turn rocks into power generators. If you had a problem you called her, peopling including.

"I said go back to picking flowers and stop being so difficult," he attested. "All you chicks complain about Andy until he walks up and then you act like he's your best friend."

"We showed him respect because he's our leader," Kim retorted.

"If you don't like him then tell it to his face," the boy said. "Don't whine and then not do anything about it. That's the problem with you girls. You're all soft and play cute like Brenda."

"Alright then," Kim began looking directly at Andy. "I don't like you, Andy. None of the girls like you."

She turned back to the boy.

"I said it, so now what?"

"The girls didn't even give him a chance!" another boy yelled. "They've been out for Andy since the beginning."

"What about the guys who don't like Andy?" Jeremy said. "We were always split on him."

"You're just sucking up so you can get some from your little girlfriend there," the first boy accused.

"Wow, you nailed it," Alex said glaring at the boy.

"We want a convention," Jaden said. He turned and nodded at Andy.

"What the hell's that?" Brenda asked.

"It's where our leader stands in the middle of the manager's hut and hears complaints from Gladers," Jeremy explained.

"But it'll be you and me on the floor," Andy said. "They'll hear what future we want for the Glade."

"So it'll be a debate then?" she asked.

"If you want it to be," Andy answered with a smirk. "I'm not sure you want that."

"If you're confident then why don't we hold a vote then?" she said smiling back.

That wiped the smirk off his face clean off. He knew he didn't have the support to win a vote, but nonetheless his supporters now fueled with anticipation for this showdown didn't want to back down.

"Hell yeah," the first boy said. "After you all hear what Andy has to say then you'll vote for him."

"So then we vote for who leads the Glade at the end of the convention?" Brenda asked.

If Andy had any doubts, which she knew he did, he was good at hiding it. He walked up until he was almost a foot in front of her face. She was still smiling. He'll burn that image of her stupid smiling face in his head. It'll give him motivation to embarrass her in front of her entire glade. She was smart. He planned on using the convention to erode her support. It was too early for a vote. But she countered and if he said no then he'd look like a chump. All his plans were erased. Now everything hinged on the convention. If he lost then he'd loose all of his power. He couldn't imagine the humiliation.

"Let's do it," he muttered.

He heard some girls giggling behind her. They knew he had no chance of winning.

Suddenly, an alarm shrieked and the ground trembled. Everyone forgot about the debate within a second. It was the first time since the message that the elevator came back. The kids ran to the elevator shaft and waited for its arrival. No one said it but the Gladers were hoping it was just another kid. The elevators clanked against the doors and the alarms stopped, though they were still ringing in everyone's ears. Two pairs of hands opened the doors. A small piece of paper rested in the middle of the box. Andy was already there jumping into the elevator and reading the message before anyone. It's not like anyone was in a rush to hear from the creators anyway. He folded it back up and glanced at the faces looking down at him.

"Where's Alex?"

Jeremy had to carry her to the elevator so they were a little late. By the time they finally arrived all eyes were on her. Alex thought it was because they were late at first but when she saw kids whisper while staring at her then she began to get worried. She did get creators killed after all. She was dumb for thinking that there wouldn't be some kind of retaliation. Sonja came running to them tears flowing down her eyes. This wasn't good at all.

"What's going on, Sonja?" Alex asked.

"There's a note," she said. "And it's for you."

When they reached the box and Andy reached up and handed her the note with a grim look on his face.

"It's for you."

Jeremy set her to her feet. She took the note in her hands, which was shaking now. She unfolded it, from quarters to halves to full.

 _To Alex:_

 _Sit in the elevator and await instructions. If you disobey then there will be consequences._

She closed the note. Her face was ghastly white. She looked at Andy. That might've been the first time she saw him drop his usual tough guy cloak and actually look scared.

"What does it say?" someone asked.

The others noticed too and it was freaking them out.

"The creators want her sit in the elevator," Andy answered solemnly.

"Why?" Jeremy asked. She felt his grip around her waist tighten.

"It doesn't say," Andy said. "Only that there'll be consequences if she doesn't do it."

"Help me get down there, Jeremy," Alex murmured.

"But Alex they'll kill you," Sonja cried.

Alex reached out and hugged her friend. They squeezed the air out of each other.

"I love you, Alex," Sonja mumbled.

"I love you too, Sonja." There were tears welling in her eyes now. "You're my best friend. I couldn't of survived here without you."

She turned to Jeremy. His face was hardened. He was holding back his emotions to be strong for her. She knew him well enough now to realize that.

"Jeremy," she said taking his face in her hands.

"I know," he replied. He pulled her in for a kiss. She wished she could kiss him forever. But even the taste of his lips couldn't get her mind off of what she was about to do. The creators had might as well stepped in between them. Alex was the one to break away. Alex edged towards the box. Sonja and Jeremy grabbed both arms and helped her down with Andy holding her sides bringing her down slow. The three gradually sat her down and Andy climbed out of elevator. The creators would have no time killing her if they chose. She couldn't even stand on her own. A sitting duck. Sonja couldn't control her sobbing. Jeremy hugged her and Sonja wrapped her arms around his back burying her face in his chest. Alex and Jeremy kept their eyes on each other.

"Alex…"

"You don't have to say it, Jeremy," Alex weakly smiled.

She was gone. The elevator dropped quietly. Nothing like the noise it makes when an elevator approaches.

Next chapter: Make the Glade Great Again?

 _Next chapter coming soon! Now that I'm on break I've got nothing but time. I made a mistake with revealing that Ava Paige is Alex's mother. Felt like I really could've had that Star Warsy 'I am your father moment' that would've made things more interesting. If this was a book I would've changed it, but each chapter is online so I've gotta work with what I got._


	17. Chapter 17: Make the Glade Great Again

The ride was short. After months of staring down in the abyss where the elevator shoots out of the darkness she'd thought the ride would take a few minutes. She used the wall to bring herself to her feet.

Bang!

She jumped almost falling back down. Something was on the other side of the wall in front of her. She scooted to the cold metal walls behind her. There was a griever on the other side. The creators were sending one to tear her to shreds. Just like what she had done to them.

The doors flew open and a brilliant light blinded her. She shielded her eyes and slid down to the metal floor. Hands gripped her armpits. She screamed and threw her arms franticly to fight off the people taking her.

"Didn't you gas her?" a man's voice said calmly.

"I thought I did," a second man's voice replied.

"Put your gas mask on," the first man ordered. "We'll gas the place and wait till she passes out."

Alex can make out the figures holding her through the light. Shadows of masked men staring down at her through clear circles of glass. The walls and floor hissed softly. Alex took a deep breath and held it, glaring back at the men. The second man merely shrugged.

"You can hold your breath as long as you like," he remarked. The mask muffled his voice. "At some point you'll have to breathe again. You're just wasting your breath."

The man nudged the other one.

"Get it? Wasting you–."

"Yeah, I get it, Mike," the man cut in. "Come on, girl we won't hurt you. We need you to pass out so that we can heal your little wound there. It's painful when you're awake, believe me."

Alex lowered her brow and glanced between the two men. They did have a point. She can't hold her breath forever. She was already here. If they want to hurt her then they'll do it no matter how much she resisted. Creators can do anything they want.

She opened her mouth and inhaled a huge gulp of air. Immediately she felt dizzy and the room started to sway back and forth.

"There she goes!" the second man said.

"Help me get her up, Mike," the first man ordered.

Her eyelids closed shut and the last thing she felt was one of the men hoisting her in his arms.

Andy opened the tent folds. Brenda's back faced him. She was working on her debate arguments on her desk. She'd been at it since before the sun rose. He inched closer to her, leaning his head over her shoulder to catch a look at the scribbled papers. He took a step back. She turned around and rose out of her chair. She froze in place as soon as she saw Andy standing so close to her. The fact that she didn't sense him sneaking from behind scared her.

"How long were you here?" she asked.

"Not long enough," he remarked grinning.

She sighed and walked to grab her shoes at the front of her bed. He watched her as she slipped on her shoes and jacket. She pretended not to notice. She can't let him know that he was creeping her out. He sent Jaden to her this morning under a flag of truce. He wanted to walk with her through the glade. Not just to talk. To show the Glader's that they were speaking together in peace. Brenda agreed but only after Wendy encouraged her to do so. With the debate coming up being seen with seen with him was counterintuitive. At least so she thought. Wendy thought it'd be a good thing for the Glade. After all, there was some instability the past few days. Eleven fights since they had their little showdown. Mostly between the boys. Three girls did attack one boy who wondered into a girls' tent drunk and cursed them out. Brenda's debate team and managers begged her not to speak with Andy until the debate. She shouldn't trust him. Of course she didn't trust him. Did they think she was that naïve?

"Let's walk," Brenda said throwing open the tent fold.

Joey wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead. He glanced up at the sun that'd been beating down on the back of his neck since the early morning. The creators could've at least stuck them in a place that wasn't so hot. At least he was black. If he were white he'd have to worry about sunburn. No he just got a shade darker which was alright for him. Agricultural workers around him stuck their hoes into the soft mounds of dirt. It was the same deal everyday. Plant in one row in the morning. Pick the crops off the rows that sprouted tomatoes, onions, peppers, cantaloupe. But since the boys had the girls they took turns. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays the boys planted. Girls planted the other days. Picking was so much easier than planting. But at least now he and his crew's work was cut in half.

"Joey, I'm taking a break," Brady said. The blonde haired boy had his hoe slung behind his neck over his shoulders. His rolled up sleeves revealed biceps strewn with veins producing out of his glistening skin. Months of work digging holes gets you ripped.

"Fine," he said getting back to digging.

"Would you look at that…"

"What?" Joey muttered not looking up.

"Andy and Brenda are strolling together," Brady replied.

Joey glanced up and Brady pointed to the two walking close to the shaded area by the trees. They were a little far away so he couldn't see their expressions but he definitely knew it was them.

"Andy's making peace with the head girl it seems like," Brady said.

"Looks like it," Joey replied digging again.

"Whatcha think about her? The Brenda girl?"

Joey stopped and looked at her and Andy walking into the woods, towards the map room, he reckoned.

"She's alright, I guess," he answered.

"You're the overseer," Brady said. "You've talked to her the most out of anybody out here. Is she like what the other guys say?"

"What do the other guys say?"

"She's soft," Brady returned.

"Girls are soft," Joey replied. "What's your point?"

"No not all of them," Brady said. "You need to talk to more girls, bro. Especially the ones in our group. Some of them don't like that Brenda's sending the runners out there. It seems like they always find a way to piss off the creators. We all heard about that Griever attacking those runners in our old glade. That can happen here if the creators want it. They like Andy's idea of staying put and building a new civilization or somethin'. And all because Brenda doesn't wanna offend the runners."

"Then how come none defended Andy when he faced off with Brenda?" Joey asked.

"They're scared that they'll be excluded from the rest of the girls," Brady replied.

"So like I said," Joey said. "Girls are soft.

"It's different between us," Brady explained. "Some of the guys that stood behind Brenda have always hated Andy. It was just a knee jerk reaction for them. They didn't stop and think about all that's happened. The girls are just supposed to love Brenda, because she's awesome and pretty. Not all of them agree with what she's doing."

"Well, thanks for informing me on the Glade's politics," Joey remarked.

"Just keep an open mind about Andy," Brady said. "I don't know how you feel about him, but just think about what I said, bro. Some changes are gonna be coming real soon."

Brady turned and headed to the Mess Hall. Joey took a look at the woods were Brenda and Andy had vanished. He tried push conflicting thoughts out of his head. As far as he knew, Brenda and Andy were co-leaders and he wasn't going to pick sides. Not until the debate at least. Then he'll have to choose the leader. He felt eyes on his back. He turned slowly. A girl sitting on a bench outside of the agriculture cop hut was watching him. Her dark brown hair swirling with the hot air blowing across the fields. Julia, the girl manager didn't look like much. Short and petite with a soft voice and eyes that darted away when you looked at her for too long. She was attractive though in her own awkward sort of way. Her shyness was kind of cute. He never had a conversation with her that lasted more than 30 seconds. She usually scurried away whenever the topic went beyond plants and bugs. But he'd catch her staring at him. And as usual she'd look away. This time was no different.

Joey chuckled to himself and stuck his garden hoe into the dirt.

"Soft girls," he murmured to himself.

Alex sat in her chair. Waiting. Her wool white garment hung loosely around her shoulders. It matched the color of the room. Pure white. A cube shaped room with walls that felt smooth as glass. The walls reflected distorted body sitting in the single chair. She'd never felt this clean in her life, at least that she remembered. Memories of what happened after the elevator were still a little fuzzy. She recalled a female doctor injecting her with some kind of serum into her wound and she regained full control of her body. The pain instantly went away. She was washed too. No idea who did the cleaning. Just that every inch of skin was scrubbed thoroughly. They even got the dirt behind her ears, and the grit underneath her fingernails. Her legs were shaved. It still felt strange running her hands along her shins and thighs without feeling the little prickles of hair. Her dark hair was as shinny as the walls and it smelled like a strawberry after you cut it open and stuck your nose inside it to take a big whiff. It was lighter too. A sort of brown that you see in the inner ring of a freshly cut open tree.

A section of the wall opened. It was so silent that she never would've of know it opened unless it happened right in front of her. A woman walked in. Red hair and white garment covered her neck and white pants. The same color as the walls. She walked closer. Thin lines from her lips and under her eyes displayed her age. Her eyes remained on her even as she stopped a few feet away from where she was sitting. Alex knew this woman. This was the same lady that she saw back in the warehouse. The boss lady creator.

"Hello, Alex," she said. She smiled revealing teeth matching her clothes. "It's been a long time."

Alex looked away frowning.

"Why do you want me here?"

"Why do you think?" the boss lady asked.

"To kill me?"

The boss lady chuckled at that answer.

"Or torture me," Alex said. "You're a creator. That's what you do."

The boss lady snapped her finger and a girl came in with another identical chair and placed it behind the boss lady. The girl stole a glance at Alex before looking at the lady.

"That'll be all Teresa, thank you."

The girl dipped her head and disappeared behind the wall. Alex watched the boss lady sit and brush off her white pants. There's no way anything collected her on clothes. There probably wasn't a single germ in this entire room.

"I brought you here to save you, Alex," she said.

Alex straightened in her chair. What does that mean? To rescue her from the Glade? No, no Alex don't trust her. She's a creator.

"What do you mean by that?" Alex asked struggling not to show any emotion.

The lady scooted her chair closer. Alex shrunk back in her chair as the lady came until her knees were inches away from hers.

"I want to save you, to save our family," the lady said.

Alex studied her face. The lady's eye contact wasn't wavering. Her eyes were actually watering. Like she was about to cry.

"What do you mean by our family?" Alex asked.

The lady took Alex hand. Alex tried to pull it away but the lady wouldn't let it go.

"Honey, I need you to listen very closely to what I'm about to say," the lady began. "My name is Ava Paige, and your name is Alex Paige. You're my daughter."

Alex stared at her. She lost feeling in the hand her mother gripped. She couldn't feel her legs or arms. It was all numb. Like the moment the Griever stung her. For some reason she believed her. Ava was like a dream that she tried to remember. It was a feeling. The same one she had during that fight in the warehouse. A familiarity. Alex knew her. For what little her memories served, she had a connected with her.

"Alex," her mother continued. "I need you to hear me. You're not my only child. You have an older brother and sister. They're in the Glade right now. You have to go back to them. You have to go back and bring them here where they're safe."

Ava paused giving Alex a moment to digest. Alex opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out of her throat. Ava waited patiently for her to gather her words to ask one simple question.

"W–Who is my brother and sister?"

"You know them well," her mother answered. "Your older brother is Andy, Andy Paige, and the oldest out of all of you is Brenda Paige. I'll help you remember both of them. I'll help you remember our family."

Her mother rose to her feet and held out her hand.

"Come," she said. "Let's get your memories back."

Brenda and Andy came into a clearing in the woods. Thick brush and trees branching out a canopy over their heads surrounded them.

"I think this is the best place to talk without wondering ears," Andy remarked.

"About time," Brenda sighed.

He took a couple glances around their surroundings.

"So what do you want to talk about?" she asked. "Are we gonna call this stupid debate off?"

He kept looking. She lowered her brow puzzled.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

A twig snapped. She turned in the sound's direction. The bushes near the base of a tree shifted. It wasn't the wind. No, it moved too much. It might be an animal, or a person watching them. She turned back to Andy.

"I think there's som…"

He lunged forward and pressed his hand against her stomach. She frowned, confused. She looked down at his hand. It was balled into a fist. Gripping something. Red slowly spread in her white tank top around the base of his fist. He pulled his hand back. A knife emerged from her stomach. He plunged the knife in her again. This time she felt it. The blade pulled and tore the inside of her organs. He stabbed her again and again and again. She watched the knife disappear inside her each time. Her mouth hung open in stupor.

She was being murdered.

He took a few steps back. His knife dripping with her blood. She staggered away from him hunched over, clutching her abdomen. Her mind was running through her options. How do I survive? She was too far away from the Glade to get help. He'd planned this along. He'd planned to kill her. And her hope for working things out had blinded her. She should've known he was never interested in sharing power. But she never thought he'd kill for it.

She tripped over a root and fell face first in the dirt. She still didn't feel too much pain. In fact she wasn't feeling much at all. She thought the fall would hurt. But her head was numb to the blow. She turned over both hands pressed on her stab wounds. She had to cough. Spit was caught in her throat. She sputtered. Blood flew out of her mouth. She couldn't see the tree canopy anymore. Only bits of light in her vision. She was going to die soon. She was sure of it. But all she could think about was Andy. What was Andy going to do with her once she was gone? Hide her? Bury her? What was his plan? What made him think he could get away with this?

Jaden emerged from the brush. His eyes were as wide as dishes. His whole body was trembling. He watched Brenda lying in cracked fallen leaves gasping for air.

"What have you done?" he murmured.

"You did your part," Andy said.

"You said we were going to prank her!" Jaden exclaimed. "I was supposed to hide in the bushes and scare her!"

"I think she's pretty scared right now," Andy replied. "And you will be too."

Before he could react, Andy grabbed him and stuck his knife in his chest several times. Jaden collapse to the ground. Andy wiped the knife on Jaden's pants. He took a deep breath holding it over his right side. He had to be careful not to hit anything major. He clenched his teeth together and counted to three. One…two…three! The knife still hovered over his side.

"Andy! Andy!"

It was Wendy. She was supposed to meet him around this time. The plan was for her to find Jaden and Brenda dead with his groveling on the ground with a stab wound. But that won't happen unless he grew some balls and stabbed himself.

He did it. He stabbed himself until all his could see was the hilt. It hurt like hell. He fell to the ground beside Brenda. Her blue eyes stared into the sky. Empty. It was like she wasn't even looking at anything. He crawled to her and cradled her head in his arms. He tried to force himself to cry, but he couldn't really think of anything sad.

Wendy came into the clearing just as Andy had begun to shout her name.

"Wendy!" he cried. "Jaden…he came and tried to kill us! Help, Wendy! I think she's dead!"


End file.
